| The purpose of this thesis was to explore the generalizability of Ecological Interface Design (EID) to the evolutionary design of human-computer interfaces and to intentional work domains. Emergency ambulance dispatch was chosen as the testbed. This research involved field observations, the creation of a work domain model using the abstraction-decomposition space, the comparison of required information with existing information, the design of a new interface to augment the existing interface, and an empirical evaluation of the new interface with experienced dispatchers. In this thesis, EID identified new information requirements that were not addressed by state-of-the-art dispatch interfaces. EID also produced an interface that provided experienced dispatchers with information they deemed useful and usable. However, EID was not found to produce a significant performance benefit over the existing interface. This thesis produced the first dynamic and functional prototype of an EID interface for an event-driven intentional work domain, the first empirical evaluation of EID applied to an event-driven intentional work domain, and the first empirical evaluation of EID applied specifically to evolutionary design. It revealed challenges in applying EID in these new contexts but also pointed to potential solutions. Most importantly, it informed several new hypotheses (to be tested in future research) that EID might have different performance effects in intentional work domains than in physical work domains: specifically, performance benefits in intentional work domains might be smaller in magnitude, observable only in long-duration studies, and observable only in low-demand situations. From a practical perspective, this research created a new dispatch interface that could be adopted with relative ease into the existing dispatch environment. It also contributed to the creation of a first-of-its-kind, real-time dispatch simulation that could be used for training and for testing different design interventions aimed at improving ambulance operations. |
