Acquiring cognition: Adding human-centered design to Navy system development

Operational U.S. Navy missions require routine performance of multiple complex cognitive and macrocognitive tasks such as planning and sensemaking under demanding conditions. However, the Department of Defense systems acquisition process accounts for only simpler behavioral tasks. This disparity is most evident in command and control systems that are intended to coordinate and manage the employment of operational forces. Our 18-month project on behalf of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) developed an approach to system acquisition that accounts for and supports cognitive work. We have used Cognitive Systems Engineering (CSE) methods, including Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA), to capture operational needs and translate them into decision and display requirements that guide the development and evaluation of an operational prototype. Documenting the process in a guidebook also offers a means for the Navy to change its acquisition process so that it routinely accounts for individual and team cognitive performance.