Human factors

Human factors and ergonomics (commonly referred to as HF&E) is a multidisciplinary field incorporating contributions from psychology, engineering, biomedical engineering, industrial design, graphic design, statistics, operations research and anthropology. The focus of HF&E is the consideration of human interactions with products, systems, and environments in the design process to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction.

History

The field of human factors has its origins in the Industrial Revolution, but gained significant attention during World War II, when complex, advanced technologies and systems required a new kind of human-machine interaction. The discipline of human factors emerged as a specific focus of ergonomics during the 1950s and 1960s.

Principles

Human factors involves the study of all aspects of the way humans relate to the world around them, with the aim of improving operational performance, safety, usability and overall user satisfaction. Key principles include:

• Workload: HF&E professionals aim to ensure that tasks and systems are within the capabilities of users and do not overload them physically or mentally.
• Design: Systems should be designed to match the abilities and limitations of users.
• Feedback: Users should always be able to understand the state of the system they are using.
• Control: Users should be in control of the system at all times.

Applications

Human factors principles are applied in many contexts, including but not limited to:

• Healthcare: HF&E can contribute to the design of safer and more effective healthcare equipment and procedures.
• Aviation: The design of aircraft and air traffic control systems can be improved by considering human factors.
• Automotive industry': HF&E can contribute to the design of safer and more comfortable vehicles.
• Software design: User interface design can be improved by considering human factors.

See also

• Cognitive ergonomics
• User-centered design
• Human-computer interaction
• Usability testing