Automation Challenges of Socio-technical Systems

4 The Design of an Interface According to Principles of Transparency

4.1. Introduction

From assembly operations in industry to transport domains, automation is causing profound changes to the paradigm of task performance. Now, technical agents are more and more involved in completing tasks, and their role can vary from the simple accompaniment of the human operator in completing specific tasks, to total and autonomous completion of other tasks. In recent years, driving an automobile has also been significantly modified by this automation, which can be partial or total [NAT 14]. Several prototypes of automated cars have already been tested in the United States and in Japan, as well as in Europe [MEY 14, TRI 14]. Promises about autonomous driving abound: improved road safety, reduced traffic congestion, more comfort for the human agent and improved mobility in a context of demographic change [MEY 14]. While the development of autonomous cars has been accelerated by technological advances in recent years, the “human factors” aspect must nevertheless be taken into account. Indeed, in her article “Ironies of automation”, Bainbridge [BAI 83] underlines what can be perceived as a sword of Damocles: a high degree of automation is seen as desirable because it would mitigate human failures, but, at the same time, we ask human agents to be able to take back control in order to manage difficult or unforeseen situations for which automatisms have not been designed. “Irony” resides in the ...