Memory and Action Selection in Human-Machine Interaction

8Designing for Future Needs

This chapter describes how people’s future needs are derived by applying CCE as discussed in Chapter 5. CCE assumes that people select their next behavior to maximize their satisfaction for given behavioral needs by appropriately coordinating available cognitive resources [KIT 13, KIT 12a]. CCE starts by defining critical parameters for understanding people’s behavior by considering the nature of behavior selection processes in the field in question, and then designing ethnographical field observations. The participant’s behavior is recorded, followed by a series of structured retrospective interviews. An analysis of the interview results aids in developing models of present behavior selections and their chronological changes in the past, which should trace the changes in people’s behavioral needs and the structure of satisfaction. This chapter states that these models should serve as defining future needs of persons who would follow the same developing paths with a certain amount of time delay.

8.1. Introduction

The straightforward question for identifying people’s future needs would be “what do you want in the near future?”. However, it is inherently impossible for people to provide reliable answers to this question because they will not be able to accurately observe the state of the future world where their needs will be satisfied. Therefore, the concept future needs should be regarded as the concept inaccessible to those who are asked to express ...