"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. The expression umbrella term means a word that provides a superset or grouping of related concepts. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a level of technological mastery sufficient to leave the surface of the planet for the first time and explore space. ... Design, usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavours, is used as both a noun and a verb. ... Human–computer interaction (HCI) or, alternatively, computer–human interaction (symbolized as Χ χ Chi, the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet) is the study of interaction between people (users) and computers. ... A modern hammer is directly descended from ancient hand tools A tool or device is a piece of equipment that most commonly provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task. ... A procedure is a series of activities, tasks, steps, decisions, calculations and other processes, that when undertaken in the sequence laid down produces the described result, product or outcome. ...

The term 'human factors' is used mainly in the United States. Variants include "human factors engineering", an extension of an earlier phrase, "human engineering". In Europe and the rest of the world, the term "ergonomics" is more prevalent. Cognitive ergonomics is another term used. World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cognitive Ergonomics studies cognition in work settings, in order to optimize human well-being and system performance. ...

Human factors practitioners can come from a variety of backgrounds; though predominantly they are Psychologists (Cognitive, Perceptual, and Experimental) and Engineers. Designers (Industrial, Interaction, and Graphic), Anthropologists, Technical communication Scholars and Computer Scientists also contribute. A psychologist is a researcher and/or a practitioner of psychology. ... Initiation rite of the Yao people of Malawi Anthropology (from the Greek word , man or person) consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). ... Technical communication is the process of developing information products to convey complex information to an intended audience. ...

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

Areas of interest for human factors practitioners may include the following:
workload, fatigue, situational awareness, usability, user interface, learnability, attention, vigilance, human performance, human reliability, human-computer interaction, control and display design, stress, visualization of data, individual differences, aging, accessibility, safety, shift work, work in extreme environments including virtual environments, human error, and decision making. // Situation Awareness is a human factors term which of late has become something of a buzzword. ... Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular goal. ... The user interface is the part of a system exposed to users. ... Look up Attention in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Vigilance is the act of watching for something to happen, of watching for danger. ... Human reliability is related to the field of human factors engineering, and refers to the reliability of humans in fields such as manufacturing, transportation, the military, or medicine. ... Visualization can refer to: Graphic Visualization as in any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate any message. ... The word error has different meanings in different domains. ... Decision making is the cognitive process of selecting a course of action from among multiple alternatives. ...

Simply put, human factors involves working to make the environment function 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. An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... During the 1920s, the first laws were passed in the USA to regulate civil aviation. ...

The human-machine model

The simple man-machine model provides a convenient way for organizing some of the major concerns of human engineering: the selection and design of machine displays and controls; the layout and design of workplaces; design for maintainability; and the work environment.

External links

Organizations

• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
• HFES Europe Chapter

Agencies

• Tools and Methods in Human Factors
• NASA Human Factors Research and Technology Division
• FAA Technical Center Human Factors Laboratory
• FAA Human Factors

Projects

• Virtual Reality and Human Factors Applications for Improving Safety (2005-2009)

External resources

• Bad Human Factors Designs
• ErgoWeb, the leading ergonomics list-server and online forum
• www.office-ergo.com Straight talk about ergonomics training at a non-commercial site

See also

• Ergonomics
• Human computer interaction
• Systems engineering
• Ubiquitous computing
• engineering psychology