This course is an introduction to some of the basic concepts within
the Human Factors discipline. The course is intended to provide
an awareness of Human Factors principles, processes, methods,
and techniques, as these are applied to human centered design.
It is also intended to instill an understanding of human capabilities
and limitations that must be considered to order to design safe,
effective, and efficient systems, equipment, work environments,
facilities, procedures, tasks, and jobs.
Human
Factors is a scientific discipline grounded in human anatomy,
physiology, and cognitive functioning. It applies rigorous data
collection and analysis techniques to the measurement and evaluation
of human performance.
We
hope you have gained an appreciation of the benefits of Human
Factors application especially when applied early in the design
and development process. By early incorporation, human-to-system
interfaces and tasks can be designed for simplicity and ease-of-use.
In turn, these contribute to reduced complexity and attendant
time and cost savings in systems training. Early Human Factors
application can eliminate downstream redesign and retrofit which
are costly and seldom as effective as when incorporated from the
outset. Importantly, with appropriate interface and task design,
workloads can be optimized leading to increased productivity and
job satisfaction.
Should
you have an interest in acquiring more knowledge in this area,
there is a wealth of information available on the web, including
the FAA's web site www.hf.FAA.gov.
Thank
you for your time and attention to the course. We hope that it
will enhance not only your job performance, but other life endeavors
as well.
