As a designer it is no more just the form of a product you have to think about .
You have to know everything about the product, the environment and the user that will work or play with the product. This knowledge has to be far more advanced then just fulfilling anthropometric standards and style guides. Not only complex machines are often controlled by computers and the computers on her part are controlled by humans. Due to these overlapping control circuits the overall system get complicated. Sometimes this can cause relevant security problems just as the “cry wulf effect”. Here an alarm system is no more considered as trusty because it is raising too often. By the way: raising the alarm hardly ever would cause equal problems…
Human Factors is considering human possibilities and boundaries at the domains of anthropometry, cognition and psychology. Mostly the human-machine interface (HMI) is the focus of the evaluation. For the purpose of human factors, countless tools are available: user surveys, problem or task analyses, view point recognition or physiological measuring methods. These analyses are set up due to scientific evidence and tailored to the special use case. Human Factors Engineering is in general dealing with following subjects:
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technical environment designed due to human possibilities and boundaries
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optimal deviation of tasks and responsibilities between man and machine
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designing HMI interaction as intentional as possible
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learning from analyses of technical and human error
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train users due to technical relevance
If you have questions to the subject of human factors– do not hesitate to ask for assistance.