How technology influences judgment in avalanche safety decisions
From Human Factors to Human-Technology Factors: An HCI Perspective on Technology in Avalanche Safety
Human-Computer Interaction
Summary
Avalanche accidents often happen because people make mistakes in judgment. The paper looks at how technology affects these decisions in snowy backcountry areas. The authors explore how devices and apps can help or sometimes cause more confusion by changing where people focus their attention, how they think, how much they trust the tools, and how they interact with others. They show that some technologies can both prevent and cause errors, partly because people may trust digital tools too much. Their work helps understand how to design better safety tools based on how humans and technology interact.
avalanche safetyhuman factorshuman-computer interactiondecision makingheuristicstrustcognitionattentionsocial interactionFACETS framework
Authors
Björn Hartmann, Jason Smith
Abstract
The avalanche safety literature has identified human factors that contribute to accidents, yet researchers note a persistent gap between these insights and effective product design. Meanwhile, interactive technologies are shaping backcountry decision making with or without grounding in theory and research. We broaden the discussion of human factors into ``human-technology factors," examining how technology can both support and undermine judgment in avalanche terrain, from a human-computer interaction (HCI) perspective. We summarize relevant HCI concepts along four dimensions - attention, cognition, trust, and social interaction - and use them to revisit McCammon's FACETS framework, cataloging ways in which specific technologies may mitigate or exacerbate classic heuristic traps, grounded in accident reports and literature where possible. We identify recurring patterns, including technologies with dual-sided effects and a pervasive ``digital expert halo."