Cognitive Artifacts in Complex Work - Ambient Intelligence for Scientific Discovery - page 161

Fig. 3. Electronic master schedule format (all names are fictitious).
The research also revealed traits that are essential to artifacts that are in-
tended to support that work. At a minimum, any cognitive artifact in this en-
vironment, whether paper or computer-supported, must be accurate, ecient,
reliable, informative, clear, and malleable [25]. Each has implications for the
development of digital cognitive artifacts.
Accurate. Current and valid in its representation of the system state. Each
coordinator updated the paper artifact with simple pen notations upon learning
new information. Under the computer-based system, case status information is
frequently posted late by a half hour or more. This forces team members to do
extra cognitive work as they make in-person trips and phone calls to verify case
status.
Ecient. Impose the least burden on users to create and obtain information.
Practitioners could look down the paper master schedule on display at the coor-
dinator station and find cases scheduled throughout the day. The roster on the
electronic display shifts each time a case is deleted, causing the reader to search
for cases. In addition, the computer interface requires practitioners to drill down
as far as four menu levels to find information that was previously available in
one glance using the paper version of the master schedule.
Reliable. Available for use when needed. The paper artifact was displayed daily
at the coordinator station. Computer-supported displays that go “down” prevent
team members from seeing or entering information. This causes great diculty in
making the kind of moment-by-moment decisions that are necessary for resource
allocation.
Informative. Contain information that pertains to circumstances of interest to
the team. Coordinators evaluate the day of procedures according to what has
already happened and how the remainder of the day can be planned. The paper
master schedule allowed for the collection of information that was related to cases
through the day. The computer-based version removes a case from the display
after the patient has been sent to post-anesthesia recovery. Displays that offer