What we do
We specialise in ‘cognition in the wild’: how people really understand the situation they’re in and make decisions, not how they behave under perfect conditions. We take a macrocognitive perspective, meaning the way people plan, understand, coordinate and make sense of the world is more important to us than simply memory or attention. We recognise the value of experts and use methods, including Cognitive Systems Engineering methods, to uncover the nuance of their deep expertise in order to design solutions to support them in their decisions and work.
The solutions we offer always take a whole systems view, with the people being a key part of the system, and take the goals and constraints at all levels of the system into consideration. Solutions can include: user centred technology design; training interventions; doctrine and guidance; organisational redesign; behaviour change and more.
Our application domains:
- Defence
- Security
- Military command and control
- Operational level headquarters
- Cross-government planning
- Counterterrorism
- Blue light emergency services
- Cyber
- High-hazard environments
- Energy
Examples
Visualisation of Cyber Operations
Used ecological interface design and cognitive work analysis methods to create interface concepts for a Joint Cyber Component Commander in a Joint Force HQ. The visualisation concepts supported the understanding of the cyber domain for non-cyber experts and facilitated the understanding of the effect of cyber activities on the overall mission.
Measuring cognitive performance
Developed novel tools to assess team sensemaking, distributed sensemaking, and sensemaking quality, which have been applied in multiple headquarters settings and led to the design of targeted interventions and systems designs to support sensemaking in Analysis Teams.
Energy Behaviour Change
Agile C2 – Collaborative Decision Making Environments
Case study interventions reduced MOD energy consumption by 23% through behaviour change. A 7-step process, an analysis tool and supporting training course were created to enable the MOD to deploy further interventions. Recipient of MOD Sanctuary Utilities Project Award Winner 2017: Maximising MOD Energy Efficient Behaviours.
Agile C2 – Collaborative Decision Making Environments
Preparation for decision making in complex and chaotic environments
Agile C2 – Collaborative Decision Making Environments
Improved collaborative decision making by creating a conceptual framework for collaborative work; principles of collaborative working; a training intervention to support improved collaboration and a process intervention, all evaluated at joint operational HQ training exercise with high success and acclaim.
Improving operator performance in high stress environments
Preparation for decision making in complex and chaotic environments
Preparation for decision making in complex and chaotic environments
Understanding the impact of multitasking, taking an interdisciplinary (psychology and physiology) approach to understanding multitasking performance challenges.
Preparation for decision making in complex and chaotic environments
Preparation for decision making in complex and chaotic environments
Preparation for decision making in complex and chaotic environments
Identified principles for development of adaptive thinking and two training interventions to enable defence to develop ‘expert generalists’ and agile, adaptive thinkers. This is currently being developed and assessed with Joint Force Command.
Behavioural Analytics
State of the art tools and techniques in HMI concept generation, design and assessment
State of the art tools and techniques in HMI concept generation, design and assessment
Used an innovative combination of behavioural models, open source data, and machine learning to increase the insights of police and defence analysts.
State of the art tools and techniques in HMI concept generation, design and assessment
State of the art tools and techniques in HMI concept generation, design and assessment
State of the art tools and techniques in HMI concept generation, design and assessment
Focus on the measurement of human performance in virtual reality and augmented reality environments.
Cyber Vulnerability Investigations
State of the art tools and techniques in HMI concept generation, design and assessment
Cyber Vulnerability Investigations
Developed the method for understanding the human aspects of cyber vulnerability and have conducted the human-centric side of a number of CVIs.