Frequently Asked Questions About Human Factors

What is Human Factors?

Human factors is a multidisciplinary applied science that aims to optimize the relationship between humans and technology. A human factors practitioner applies data about human behavior, abilities, limitations, and other characteristics to the design of technology, objects, facilities, and environments that people live and work in as well as their tasks and jobs in order to make them effective, productive, safe, and comfortable.

Is Human Factors Ergonomics?

Yes and No, depending upon where you live. Some countries regard them as the same field. However, in the United States the two fields are intimately related, and many times the two fields cross paths, but they are slightly different. Ergonomics tends to apply data of human physical strengths, abilities, and limitations, to the design of tools, technology, and environments, whereas Human Factors tends more to the perceptual and cognitive aspects of design. Nonetheless, the mental and physical worlds must eventually meet, and so do the disciplines.

Is Human Factors Usability?

Yes and No, depending on who you ask. Many usability practitioners use the terms human factors and usability interchangeably and regard them as the same thing. However, technically speaking, usability is one area of human factors and tends to focus on “ease of use” primarily, whereas human factors focuses on ease of use as well as many other aspects of design including, but not limited to, performance and productivity, safety, comfort, jobs, tasks, and training.

In general, Human Factors is regarded as a rigorous applied science with practitioners and researchers holding advanced degrees in Human Factors, Psychology, Information Science, or other closely related sciences. Usability practitioners, on the other hand, although they can have the same degree, all-too-often do not have such formalized training.

Even if you decide not to use Atlantic Human Factors for your human factors or usability consulting needs, please ensure that the individual or company that you do hire has adequate formalized training in human factors or strongly related discipline. Anyone can claim to be a usability consultant, but only a few individuals can claim to be a human factors consultant.

Is Human Factors Just Common Sense?

Absolutely not. Common sense is often the interpretation of decisions and recommendations in hindsight, but rarely is common sense so obvious in foresight. If foresight in design is common sense, then why are design mistakes constantly made, and why, even with wonderfully engineered systems, do disasters still occur?

Human factors is a rigorous science with standards and principles that are based on scientific study and scrutiny. Making products and systems such as websites easier to use and easier to learn is critical for the success of the product. The earlier human factors personnel can be brought into the development cycle, the more effective human factors is at speeding up development and saving money. In all, well designed products, systems, and websites yield happier customers, increased sales, and improved performance and safety.

Is Human Factors Just Consistency?

No. Consistency is an important human factors principle, but it is far from the whole story. Hudson (2000) offers an interesting quote about consistency: "Mindless consistency is not an attractive design strategy." We have seen many instances where designers have made user interfaces that are difficult to use, learn, and perform on in the interest of trying to make a user interface as consistent as possible.