SA Enemies
Common traps that chip away at Situation Awareness (SA). Each card names the pitfall and offers a simple fix to keep attention, comprehension, and projection intact.
SA Enemy: Apparent Complexity
A system may be complex — but its display doesn’t have to be. Apparent complexity arises from how information is presented, not how complex the system actually is.
SA Enemy: Attentional Tunneling
Locking onto one element of a situation and losing awareness of the rest can cause operators to miss critical cues. Keep at least a high-level overview visible to avoid tunnel vision.
SA Enemy: Creating Distraction
Overuse of motion, brightness, or color can make everything compete for attention — the “Las Vegas strip” effect. Use salience sparingly to draw attention only where it’s needed.
SA Enemy: Data Overload
The brain has limited capacity for sensory and information processing. When too much data arrives too fast, awareness can lag. Visual organization and pacing help maintain clarity.
SA Enemy: Seeing Through the Wrong Lens
When automation or system behavior changes but users don’t realize it, they act on the wrong mental model. Mode clarity prevents users from following outdated assumptions.
SA Enemy: Short-Term Memory Overload
When users must remember and mentally connect information scattered across screens, comprehension drops. Bring related data together so understanding happens on the display — not in the mind.
SA Enemy: Unaware of What Automation is Doing
Automation can lighten workload but also take users out of the loop. Interfaces must reveal the automation’s goals, actions, and status to maintain trust and understanding.
SA Enemy: WAFOS
Workload, anxiety, fatigue, and other stressors (WAFOS) erode awareness. Clear displays support rapid intake of essential information — even under high stress or workload.
