Transcript Introduction to Human Factors Chap 1

Introduction to Human
Factors
Chap 1
Three episodes：
► An
assembly-line worker
► Medicine
►
bottle’ s print
Voice response system
Introduction to Human Factors
► What
Is the Field of Human Factors?

► An
Overview of the Book 
What Is the Field of Human Factors?
► Ambiguous
communications: a U.S. Navy cruiser
in conflict-ridden Persian Gulf
► Goal
(1/3)
of human factors
 Enhances performance: productivity, error
 Increases safety
 Increases user satisfaction
Human factors involves the study of factors and
development of tools that facilitate the
achievement of these goals
What Is the Field of Human Factors?
► The
cycle of human factors
(2/3)
Figure 1.1
 Identification of Problems
 Analysis Tools: task analysis, statistical analysis,
incident/accident analysis
 DESIGN
−
Equipment design: physical equipment
−
Task design: what operators do
−
Environmental design: lighting, temperature, noise,…
−
Training: better preparing
−
Selection: individual differences
What Is the Field of Human Factors?
(3/3)
► Fixing
► The
► The
systems vs. Designing systems
Scope of Human Factors 
Study of Human Factors as a
Science 
The Scope of Human Factors
► Goal-oriented
► What
► The
1/2
rather then content-oriented
human factors professionals do
Figure 1.2
relationship between human factors
Figure 1.3
 Core disciplines
−
Human factors, Ergonomics, Engineering psychology,
Cognitive engineering
 Subdomains of study within human factors
 Related field of psychology and engineering
 Domain-specific engineering disciplines
The Scope of Human Factors
► The
2/2
relationship between human factors
Figure 1.3
 Human factors vs. Engineering psychology
−
Ultimate Goal:
Human factors: toward system design
Engineering psychology: understand human mind as is
relevant to the design of systems
−
Emphasis:
Engineering psychology : discovering generalizable
psychological principles and theories
Human factors : usable design principles
The Study of Human Factors as a Science
► Generalization
and prediction
 (e.g.) Communications
−
−
−
Air traffic control center and the aircraft
Workers on a noisy factory floor
Doctors and nurses in an emergency room
► Nature
of observation
 Laboratory: highly controlled observations and
experiments
 Human behavior of real users of real systems
 Most effective: from lab to real environment
An Overview of the Book
► Four
basic sections
 Different research techniques & design
methodologies. (Ch.2, 3)
 The nature of human information processing.
(Ch.4-9)
 The nonpsychological issues of human factors.
(Ch.10-14)
 Specific domains of application of human factors.
(Ch.15-19)