Analysis Tools for Anticipating Interaction Complexity in Socio-Technical Systems

This dataset provides the supplemental evaluation instruments for the research paper "Extending the User-Centered Design Toolbox: An Instrument for Anticipating Complexity of Interaction". These Excel-based tools are designed to help development teams systematically identify and analyze complexity early in the design process. The supplements consist of two specialized evaluation templates: 1. Classification Tool for Interaction Situations Function: This tool operationalizes a binary tree logic to classify anticipated interaction situations. Categories: Based on user-provided ratings for predictability and required knowledge, it categorizes situations into Obvious, Complicated, Complex, or Chaotic. Application: It allows teams to process assessments from multiple evaluators and visualize the distribution of complexity across different usage scenarios and user groups. 2. Multi-Dimensional Complexity Profiler Function: A template for the deep-dive analysis of situations previously identified as "complex". Dimensions: It evaluates ten specific complexity-generating characteristics: Dynamics, Interconnection of system elements, Feedback/Feedforward, Non-linearity, Dependence on past events, Self-organization, Adaptivity, Counter-intuitiveness, Resistance to intervention, and Temporal trade-offs. Visualization: The tool automatically maps numerical ratings to a ten-dimensional network diagram (radar chart), making the specific sources of complexity visible and actionable for the design process. Usage Note: These files are provided as ready-to-use evaluation templates. They enable researchers and practitioners to apply the methodology described in the paper to their own technology projects or other complex socio-technical systems. By using these tools, teams can derive targeted design measures—such as onboarding wizards or enhanced visualizations—to manage interaction complexity before conducting costly user studies. Additionally, an explanatory framework graphic (framework.png) is included to illustrate the theoretical workflow and the two-stage assessment process.