| The most widely cited reference on task analysis has been Task-Analysis for Human- Computer Interaction, edited by Dan Diaper, who must take the main blame for this new Handbook of Task Analysis for Human-Computer Interaction, as his motive was in part to stem the trickle of requests from around the world for chapters from the out-of-print 1989 book. We, the editors, wanted to produce the definitive reference on task analysis for humancomputer interaction (HCI). In this we have failed, and the new handbook provides merely a comprehensive sample of the current research on and use of task analysis.We expect, however, for it to still be the best reference source available. Indeed, our hope is that this first edition is so successful that the completely revised second edition that we’ll prepare in 3 or 4 years will be nigh definitive.
Our other reasons for editing this handbook, apart from self-aggrandizement (money certainly wasn’t a motive), are as follows: The whole field of task analysis, it seems to us, remains fragmented and poorly understood by many, and a belief that task analysis is at the very heart of virtually all HCI work, although readers should regard Diaper’s pathetic excuses concerning chapter 1—about coverage, precision, clarity, and combining two chapters into one—as inadequate for his being self-indulgently prolix, he does explain our beliefs about the importance of task analysis.
The editorial process for this handbook’s production was based on an egalitarian ethic. First we advertised for abstracts of possible contributions. We then selected most of them and put them into a tentative structure. Once we’d received all the chapters, we sent the authors comments and suggestions, usually quite extensive. We always intended to defer to the expertise of the authors, but we are proud to report that there was virtually no controversy between authors and editors over these comments and suggestions. The chapter authors have been a pleasure to work with. Thank you. Dan then edited all the chapters and cross-referenced them so it would be a proper book, not just a collection of separate chapters, like a conference proceedings. |