Human-Computer Interaction and Human Mental Workload: Assessing Cognitive Engagement in the World Wide Web

Part 1: Long and Short PapersInternational audienceAssessing the cognitive engagement of a user while seeking and consuming information over the World Wide Web is a key challenge for studying the quality of interactions. Indicators of cognitive engagement are useful for enhancing usability of interfaces, designing adaptable systems but also for analysing user behaviour and performance. For this purpose, we aim to adopt the multifaceted concept of Human Mental Workload, mainly applied in psychology and cognitive sciences, to study individual performance and user engagement in the context of Web. We aim to design a framework in which mental workload can be measured, analysed and explained. This will lead to analysis of individual and mass behaviour, guidelines and recommendation for interaction design, usability of front-end web applications and proposal of adaptive systems

The Relationship between Working Conditions and Commercial Pilot Fatigue Development

Fatigue is an important factor in aviation accidents, and effective fatigue management requires understanding the relationship between working conditions and fatigue. Two studies were conducted to clarify the relationship between working conditions and fatigue. In the first study, 59 airline pilots completed a workload questionnaire and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) in the morning and at the completion of their final flight of the day. In the second study, 133 pilots completed a revised questionnaire and the POMS. In both samples, fatigue increased and vigor levels decreased. Regression of fatigue increase upon working conditions indicated that the number of takeoffs and landings during the day were related to fatigue development. Correlation of incident level with both weather and airport difficulty suggest that incident level is a function of weather conditions and airport difficulty. These results argue that fatigue management should be founded upon the demands of working conditions, not merely the simplistic assessment of hours of work