A Heuristic Based Framework for Improving Design of Unmanned Systems by Quantifying and Assessing Operator Trust. (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jackson, Kimberly F.; Prasov, Zahar; Vincent, Emily C.; Jones, Eric M.
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting. Volume 60:Part 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1696
• Page End: 1700
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: Human engineering -- Congresses; 620.8205
• DOI: 10.1177/1541931213601390
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1541-9312

Abstract

Operator trust in autonomous capability is a critical factor affecting the success of fielded unmanned systems. However, current means of identifying trusted system behavior do not sufficiently inform guidelines for designing an engineering solution. We present a novel Trust Assessment Framework for providing actionable and formative feedback for building an unmanned system that promotes operators' initial adoption of and reliance on its autonomous capabilities. Based on a review of the unmanned systems literature and a series of inquiries focusing on operators of unmanned aerial vehicles, we have identified a set of Heuristics for Trusted Autonomy and behaviorally anchored Trust Assessment Scales that enable quantitative feedback for each heuristic category. The Heuristics and Scales were incorporated into a Trust Assessment Process consisting of a Heuristic Evaluation and subsequent scoring. This trust assessment methodology can be applied directly to assessing autonomous aerial systems. Extensions to other platforms and domains are being investigated.