Introduction to Human Factors
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Learning Objectives
Module Learning Objectives
At the completion of this course students will be able to:
Module Learning Objectives
At the completion of this module students will be able to:
1. Describe the key concepts in human factors
2. Explain the characteristics and limitations of key human
abilities
3. Measure human characteristics
4. Design systems accounting for human factors
5. Apply human factors related standards
6. Evaluate designs for conformation with human factors
design principles
7. Assess human factors risks, hazards, & safety concerns
8. Devise and evaluate mitigation strategies for human factors
risks
1. Prioritize human factors design goals for different systems
2. Describe how human factors addresses cognitive, physical,
and organizational aspects of systems
3. Discuss the relative effectiveness of typical human factors
interventions
4. Explain the scope of human factors engineering
5. Explain why intuition is insufficient and designing for
people
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What is Human Factors?
• Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific
discipline concerned with the understanding of
interactions among humans and other elements
of a system, and the profession that applies
theory, principles, data and methods to design in
order to optimize human well-being and overall
system performance.
• International Ergonomics Association
• Human Factors is a body of knowledge about
human abilities, human limitations, and other
human characteristics that are relevant to design.
Human factors engineering is the application of
human factors information to the design of tools,
machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments
for safe, comfortable, and effective human use.
• Chapanis, A. "To Communicate the Human
Factors Message, You Have to Know What the
Message Is and How to Communicate It," Human
Factors Society Bulletin, Volume 34, Number 11,
November 1991, pp 1-4
https://www.hfes.org/About-HFES/What-is-Human-Factors-and-Ergonomics
• Human Factors is that field which is involved in
conducting research regarding human
psychological, social, physical, and biological
characteristics, maintaining the information
obtained from that research, and working to apply
that information with respect to the design,
operation, or use of products or systems for
optimizing human performance, health, safety,
and/or habitability.
• The Dictionary for Human Factors/Ergonomics
• Ergonomics is the design and engineering of
human-machine systems for the purpose of
enhancing human performance.
• Dempsey, Patrick G., Wogalter, Michael S., &
Hancock, Peter A. (2000). What's in a name? Using
terms from definitions to examine the fundamental
foundation of human factors and ergonomics
science. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science,
1(1), 3-10.
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Human Factors Engineering
• Design for the human/system interface
and account for both cognitive and
physical limits
Key Measures/Goals
• Improve performance
• Improve safety
• Improve satisfaction
• Improve tactile feel
• Decrease errors
• Reduce fatigue
• Reduce the learning curve
• Ensure operability and usability
• Meet user’s needs and wants
• Positive perception of product
Introduction to Human Factors and the Human Centered Design Process, Dr. Gordon A. Vos, NASA
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Human Factors Engineering Considerations
Human Limitations
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Information Theory
Memory Resources
Attention Resources
Compatibility
Expectations
Input Modalities
Anthropometrics
Strength capability
Visual acuity
Acoustic sensitivity
Failure to Consider Leads to
• User frustration
• Fatigue
• High error rates
• Accidents
• System failures
Goal:
ensure that the system can be effectively
utilized by the end user
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Human Systems Integration
• A comprehensive,
multidisciplinary, technical
and management process
• Integrates human
considerations within the
system development process
• Ensures that the human
contribution toward system
performance is consistently
addressed throughout the
system life cycle
https://railroads.dot.gov/human-factors/elearning-attention/human-systems-integration
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Human Factors Engineering Goals
“Kiviat” Diagrams
How does this diagram look like in a nuclear power plant control room?
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What’s a Kiviat Diagram?
• The Kiviat diagram is also known as radar
chart, web chart, spider chart, spider web
chart, star chart, star plot, cobweb chart,
irregular polygon, polar chart, …
• A graphical method of displaying
multivariate data in the form of a twodimensional chart of three or more
quantitative variables represented on axes
starting from the same point
• The relative position and angle of the axes
is typically uninformative, but various
heuristics, such as algorithms that plot data
as the maximal total area, can be applied to
sort the variables (axes) into relative
positions that reveal distinct correlations,
trade-offs, and a multitude of other
comparative measures
By Nswaper - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73924972
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Human Factors Design Cycle
• Task design focuses more on changing
what operators do than on changing the
devices they use
• Equipment design changes the physical
equipment that people work with
• Environmental design changes the physical
environment where the tasks are carried
out
• Training enhances the knowledge and skills
of people by preparing them for the job
• Selection changes the makeup of the team
or organization by picking people that are
best suited to the job
• Organization changes how groups of
people communicate & relate to each other
Lee, John; Wickens, Christopher; Liu, Yili; Boyle, Linda. Designing for People: An Introduction to Human
Factors Engineering (p. 6). Kindle Edition.
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Domains of Human Factors
Lee, John; Wickens, Christopher; Liu, Yili; Boyle, Linda. Designing for People: An Introduction to Human Factors
Engineering (p. 10). Kindle Edition.
Wickens, C.D., Lee, J.D., Liu, Y, and Becker, S.E.G. (2004) An
Introduction to Human Factors Engineering (2nd ed.)
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Systems Thinking: Old vs. New
https://medium.com/disruptive-design/tools-for-systems-thinkers-the-6-fundamental-concepts-of-systems-thinking-379cdac3dc6a
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Just Use Intuition for Human Factors?
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Intuition
• Intuition is a form of knowledge that
appears in consciousness without
obvious deliberation. It is not magical
but rather a faculty in which ideas are
generated by the unconscious mind
rapidly sifting through experience and
cumulative knowledge.
• Often referred to as “gut feelings,”
intuition tends to arise holistically and
quickly, without awareness of the
underlying mental processing of
information. Scientists have repeatedly
demonstrated how information can
register on the brain without conscious
awareness and positively influence
decision-making and other behavior.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/intuition
• Psychologists believe that intuition
relies on powers of pattern-matching, as
the mind combs experience stored in
long-term memory for similar situations
and presents in-the-moment judgments
based on them. The automatic
information processing that underlies
intuition can be seen in the everyday
phenomenon known as "highway
hypnosis,” which occurs when a driver
travels for miles without a conscious
thought about the activity of driving the
car.
• Our gut feelings are sometimes correct,
but we tend to attach a certainty to them
that they do not always merit.
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Employ Both Intuition and Science
https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2016/09/05/balancing-art-and-science-marketing-effectiveness-comes-age
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Look Ahead
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