Human factors

Human factors is a term used mainly in the United States. In Europe and the rest of the world, the term ergonomics is more prevalent.

Related Topics:
United States - Europe - Ergonomics

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Human factors is an umbrella term for several areas of research that include human performance, technology, design, and human-computer interaction. It is a profession that focuses on how people interact with products, tools, procedures, and any processes likely to be encountered in the modern world.

Related Topics:
Performance - Technology - Design - Human-computer interaction - Tools - Procedures

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Human factors practitioners can come from a variety of backgrounds; though predominately they are Psychologists (Cognitive, Perceptual, and Experimental) and Engineers. Designers (Industrial, Interaction, and Graphic), Anthropologists, and Computer Scientists also contribute.

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Where as ergonomics tends to focus on the anthropometrics for optimal human-machine interaction, human factors is more focused on the cognitive and perceptual factors.

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Areas of interest for human factors practioners include the following: workload, fatigue, situational awareness, usability, learnability, attention, vigilance, human performance, control and display design, stress, visualization of data, individual differences, aging, accesibility, shift work, work in extreme environments, and human error.

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Simply put, human factors involves work to make the environment work in a way that seems natural to people. Although the terms human factors and ergonomics have only been widely known in recent times, the field's origin is in the design and use of aircraft during World War II to improve aviation safety.

Related Topics:
Aircraft - World War II - Aviation safety

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