Task Analysis

Question 1

What is Task Analysis techniques?

Answer 1

Techniques that are used to understand and represent human and system performance in a particular task or scenario.

Question 2

Is Task Analysis one of the most commonly used group of techniques in HF?

Answer 2

Yes, it is the most common.

Question 3

Task Analysis Techniques help us identify and understand:

Answer 3

The things people do
The things people act on
The things people need to know

Question 4

Task Analysis techniques can be used during…?

Answer 4

The design of systems or to evaluate existing systems or processes.

Question 5

What does Task Analysis involve?

Answer 5

identifying tasks
collecting task data
analyzing the data so that tasks are understood
producing a documented representation of the analyzed tasks

Question 6

What are the typical task analysis techniques?

Answer 6

Break down tasks or scenarios into the required individual task stems.
In terms of required human-machine/human-human interactions.

Question 7

What are the different variations of task analysis techniques?

Answer 7

Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA)
Cognitive Task Analysis
(CTA)

Question 8

How is Hierarchical Task Analysis broken down?

Answer 8

Into a hierarchy of goals, operations, and plans.

Question 9

HTA is used in multiple areas such as…?

Answer 9

military applications, aviation, training, error and risk analysis, identification and assessment of team skills, process control and power generation industries

Question 10

Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) three categories are?

Answer 10

Goals
Operations
Plans

Question 11

Goals is one of the HTA categories what is goals?

Answer 11

The unobservable task goals associated with the task in question

Question 12

Operations is one of the HTA categories what is operations?

Answer 12

The observable behaviors or activities that the operator has to perform in order to accomplish the goal of the task in question

Question 13

Plans is one of the HTA categories what is plans?

Answer 13

The unobservable decisions and planning made on behalf of the operator

Question 14

Step one of HTA. Hint: “boil kettle”

Answer 14

#1 Determine the overall goal of the task:
The overall task goal of the task under analysis should first be specified at the top of the hierarchy

Question 15

Step two of HTA. Hint: In a HTA analysis of a Ford in-car radio the task, “listen to in car entertainment”, was broken down into the following sub-goals:
Check unit status
Press on/off button
Listen to the radio
Listen to cassette
Adjust audio preferences

Answer 15

#2 Determine task sub-goals
Break the overall goal down into four or five meaningful sub-goals, which together make up the overall goal

Question 16

Step two of HTA. Hint in HTA they are divided into two category of tasks.

Answer 16

Sub-goals and Operations.
The sub-goals identified in step two should then be broken down into further sub-goals and operations, according to the task
This process should go on until an appropriate sub-goal is reached
The bottom level of any branch in a HTA will always be an operation
While everything above an operation specifies goals, operations actually say what needs to be done
Operations are actions to be made by the operator
Underneath the sub-goals, the analyst basically enters what needs to be done to achieve the sub-goal

Question 17

Step Four HTA.

Answer 17

Plans and Analysis
Once all of the sub-goals have been fully described, the plans need to be added.
Plans dictate how the goals are achieved.
A simple plan would say, Do 1, then 2, and then 3.
Once the plan is completed, the operator returns to the super-ordinate level.
Plans do not have to be linear and can come in any form such as Do 1, Or 2 And 3.
Once the goals, sub-goals, operations and plans are exhausted, a complete diagram made up of these four aspects of the task makes up an HTA. If required, this can be tabulated.

Question 18

What example is this..?

Answer 18

Slide 13 Task Analysis

Question 19

What example is this..?

Answer 19

Slide 14 Task Analysis

Question 20

What example is this..?

Answer 20

Slide 15 Task Analysis

Question 21

What are some advantages of Heirarchial Task Analysis?

Answer 21

HTA is the starting point for numerous human factors techniques
Easy to learn and implement
Requires minimal training
Usually quick to use
Used extensively in a wide range of contexts
Gives great insight into the task under analysis
Excellent technique to use when requiring a task description for further analysis
Can depict everything that needs to be done in order to complete the task in question
Adaptable to a wide range of purposes
Tasks can be analyzed to any required level of detail, depending on the purpose

Question 22

What are some disadvantages of Heirarchial Task Analysis?

Answer 22

Contains little that can be useddirectlyto provide design solutions
Does not cater for thecognitivecomponents of a task
Can be time consuming and laborious for the more complex and larger tasks
Requires handling by an analyst well trained in a variety of methods of data collection and in relevant human factors principles

Still no ideal software application to help out with this technique

Question 23

What is cognitive Task Analysis? (CTA)

Answer 23

Breaks down the components of the task in terms of the cognitive abilities required during each step

Question 24

What are the other examinations of CTA?

Answer 24

Perceptual Ability

Motor Ability are requirements.

Question 25

Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) description.

Answer 25

CTA methods focus on describing and representing the cognitive elements such as decision making and judgments.
The bulk of the data collection occurs via indepth interviews with subject matter experts.

Question 26

What does Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) require?

Answer 26

An understanding of cognition

An expert-level understanding of the task (either your own or by interviewing a subject matter expert)

Question 27

Examples of CTA.

Answer 27

Slides 31 and 32