[7] This work influenced a generation of researchers who would later come to be associated with cognitive systems engineering, including Morten Lind, Erik Hollnagel, and David Woods.
Instead, Hollnagel and Woods wished to emphasize a shift in focus from human-computer interaction to joint cognitive systems as the unit of analysis.
One specific application of coping with complexity is the work that human operators must do when they are supervising a process such as nuclear power plant, and they must then deal with a problem that arises.
One specific example is the notion of common ground[21] and its implications for building software that can contribute effectively as agents in a joint cognitive system.
Examples of such cognitive artifacts, which have been studied by researchers, include "the bed book" used in intensive care units,[23] "voice loops" used in space operations,[24] "speed bugs" used in aviation,[25] drawings and sketches in engineering work,[26] and the various tools used in marine navigation.
[27] Of particular interest to CSE researchers is how computer-based tools influence joint cognitive work,[28] in particular the impact of automation,[29] and computerized interfaces used by system operators.