Exploring Technology Tendencies and Their Impact on Human-Human Interactions

Although traditionally researchers have focused on making robotics more user-friendly from a human perspective, a new theory has begun to take shape in which humans take on the perspective of a robotic entity. The following set of studies examined the concept of technomorphism defined as the attribution of technological characteristics to humans. This concept has been mentioned anecdotally and studied indirectly, but there is nothing currently available to tap into the various forms that technomorphism may take. Through the study of technomorphism, researchers have come slightly closer to the question of how technology is influencing our perceptions of what it means to be human. The findings from this work should help fuel the desire of others in the field to think about the potential influences of technomorphism during the design and implementation of new devices as well as in how technology may be related to how we perceive each other.

Mariners or Machines

Building in layers of safety and sharpening the warfighting edge does not necessarily mean using technology more, but rather using it more effectively. Deftly applied automation can buy back time and cognitive resources for operators, decreasing the chances of human error, but technology also has the potential to become less of a tool and more of a crutch if operational fundamentals and basic seafaring skills are forsaken to automation. Operators must be able to rely on their own “sea sense,” developed through experience and mentoring, and use technology to accomplish specific objectives rather than defer to automation as the default decision-maker. Maintaining the competitive warfighting edge requires cultivating skilled mariners who know how to fight a well-equipped ship; adding complexity to the system without accounting for the human element creates added risk and cutting-edge failure modes. Technology alone cannot make the ship safe, but when the operator lacks fundamental knowledge and experience, it can make the ship unsafe.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality technology holds great promise for extending and enhancing users' capabilities across numerous applications in both work and personal life. It would be easy to see AR, then, as a panacea, but thoughtful design is required if the benefits are to be realized without also realizing the nascent technology's great potential for harm. Current applications in commercial, military, and education and training settings are herein reviewed, along with consideration of potential future directions. This chapter also identifies hazards posed by poor design or haphazard application and provides recommendations and best practices for those engaged in the design of AR that seek to maximize the human utility of this rapidly maturing technology.

The Utility of Neuro-Economics in the Services of ICT of the Exponential SMEs of the Artisanal Industry of Women Entrepreneurs in Mexico

The chapter explores the utility of neuroeconomics in decision making and behavior. Scientific knowledge will be advanced in the need for the application of neuroeconomics focused on one of the services of the information and communication technologies (ICT) of companies that is e-commerce of exponential artisanal SMEs of women entrepreneurs by developing a proposal for a business model to increase the possibility of growth of their companies at the level national and international level. The methodology used was deductive, exploratory, descriptive, correlational, and documentary. Neuroeconomics have the potential to explain the phenomena that are considered as a deviation from the prediction or behavioral bias of decision-making models in economic theory. The study up to this point is quantitative using primary and secondary sources for research.

Human Factors

Human factors are integral to applied academic programs such as interaction design. In this chapter, the authors begin by reviewing precepts of authentic, “real-world” learning. From a human factors and interaction design viewpoint, they then describe an authentic learning project—a mobile application design—that was done by university students in collaboration with a leading global specialty retailer. Specifically, in terms of the project, the chapter reviews the following: 1) benefits and challenges of academic and industry collaborations; 2) human factors and interaction design processes, methods, and principles used throughout the authentic project; 3) anthropometric features of the project prototype and their implications for usability; 4) precepts of cognitive information processing (i.e., human attention, perception, and memory) and their importance for the design and usability of the project's interface; 5) insights and lessons learned about the use of authentic learning experiences in teaching human factors and interaction design.

Facilitating the Adoption of Digital Health Technologies by Older Adults to Support Their Health

With over 50% of older adults in the United States managing at least one chronic condition, it is crucial to understand how to promote their self-management of positive health behaviors. Health interventions through digital health technologies are becoming more commonplace. Theoretical models related to health behavior change and technology acceptance can guide the design of these healthcare tools and lead to adoption by older adults to support their health. This chapter provides an overview of health behavior change and technology acceptance models to inform the development of digital health technology for older adults. This chapter illustrates the application of these models by describing two design personas that represent human factors designers. This chapter discusses the lack of inclusion of technology adoption and other long-term concepts and the need for further exploration that could inform understanding of technology integration into everyday health activities.

Strategic Implications of Organizational Culture, Knowledge, Learning Organizations, and Innovation on Sustainable Organizations

This study aims to analyze the strategic implications that the organizational culture has on organizational knowledge, learning, and innovation. It begins from the assumption that there is a direct and positive relationship between the organizational culture and knowledge, learning, and innovation in organizations. It also is assumed that organizational culture, knowledge, learning, and innovation are receptive to sustainable organizational practices. The method used is the appreciative inquiry as a collaborative dialogue based on the question of what is the best of and what might be that aims to design and implement innovations in sustainable organizational arrangements and processes. The theoretical framework is based on organizational cultural cognitivism theory and the theory of socio-ecological intergradation. It is concluded that sustainable organizations practices require the creation and development of an organizational culture supportive of knowledge, learning, and innovation practices.

Digital Mental Health Interventions

This chapter will provide a brief background on the need for digital mental health interventions given the high rates of mental health issues and the barriers to access quality care. Three main types of digital mental health interventions (internet-based interventions [IBIs], smartphone apps, and virtual and augmented reality [VR and AR, respectively]) will be discussed, followed by a consideration of the ethical and logistical issues surrounding digital mental health interventions. The chapter will then address issues related to content and design, user engagement, user contact, and formatting of the interventions. Finally, the chapter will end with a discussion of future directions.

Pandemics, Preprints, and Praxis

The speed and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges not seen since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Governments, healthcare providers, and industries are using all available resources to produce and distribute prevention and mitigation measures. This chapter examines the issues, challenges, and questions surrounding the use of wearable devices (e.g., Fitbit) in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The implementation of wearables to prevent the spread of infection in the 2020 NBA Bubble is used as a case study of whether and how wearables should be used for detecting illnesses. The role of preprints and their influence on discourse about COVID-19 are also discussed in this chapter.

Ethical Design of Social Technology

Social technology has become ubiquitous in everyday life. Developers of social technologies seek design elements and new technologies, such as machine learning algorithms, aimed at increasing user engagement. Increased user engagement with products or services is sought after by both companies, which benefit from increased sales and customers who desire technology which they are motivated to use. However, increased user engagement also results in increased demand on user attention. High demand on user attention results in problems for social technology users, including decreased task performance, decrements in working memory, increased anxiety, and more. Developers of social technology should take these negative effects on users into account when implementing new features into their products or services. This chapter proposes a framework for the ethical design of social technology, with a specific emphasis on the balance between user engagement and attentional demands on the user.