Carl Westin

7-4 Limitations and pitfalls of strategic conformance 169 nonconformal advisories were based on these solutions, the solutions were also tied to the use of the heading band SSD. In the experiment simulations, the confor- mal and nonconformal solution advisories were presented inside the SSD, which opened up simultaneously with the advisory. This use of the SSD in prequel sim- ulations as a baseline CD&R support tool was deemed necessary to provide a high level of information integration. This, in turn, facilitated the manipulation of strate- gic conformance in relation to high levels of automated support (at the stage of decision-selection and implementation) simply by adding conformal and noncon- formal advisories. This can explain why agreement and response time patterns were reversed when controllers used the triangle SSD. The triangle representation influenced controllers’ perception of the conflict, and the solution they implemented when using the head- ing band SSD (prequel simulation) appeared less suitable when a similar solution was presented in the triangle SSD (experiment simulation). This has three important consequences. First, a conformal solution as recorded when using interface A may not be representative as a conformal solutions when using interface B. Second, vary- ing the transparency of an interface can have a fundamental effect on how problems are perceived and, hence, solved. Finally, this suggest that strategic conformance and automation transparency should be considered mutually exclusive. Admittedly, the decision to use the heading band SSD as a baseline may have biased solutions. With speed options not readily provided by the interface, con- trollers may have relied extensively on vectors for solving conflicts. The motivation for using the SSD was driven by the objective of studying automation acceptance in a high-density sector, representative to that of future traffic levels. The baseline heading band SSD provided the information integration and support needed to cope with the increased number of aircraft. Yet, strategic conformance should advisably be studied in a more realistic context, analogous to current ATC. Of particular in- terest would be to investigate controllers’ conflict-solving styles, their consistency, and their disagreement, using the solution classification framework developed in this thesis. 7-4-6 The benefit of nonconformal automation Like any decision aid, a conformal system should not suggest unsafe solutions only to be conformal with the operator’s problem-solving style. The system must be able to consider the safety and efficiency of a solution, and if determined unsuit- able, disagree with the operator and argue for a nonconformal solution. Notably, in such circumstances, the contribution of nonconformal automation may be more beneficial than conformal automation to system performance and safety. Because, to derive at a conformal advice, the system must 1) have knowledge about the op-