What piece of this work is man? [Human factors in systems design]

When designing modern systems, the vogue is to increase automation and reduce the involvement of human operators (whether for cost, operational or technological elegance reasons). This drive for more automation and fewer people is not always favourably received by the users of the systems, although perceptions can vary considerably, even in apparently similar circumstances. This paper explores some of the factors influencing designers when using humans in their various systems, and the effect that this can have on the remaining people who use those systems