"Human factors and ergonomics (commonly referred to as human factors engineering or HFE) is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems."
Human factors is the science of how humans interact with devices, systems, and environments. It is useful in HCI for designing products that are safe, effective, and easy to use.
Usability: The extent to which a product or system is easy to use and learn, and how well it meets user needs and goals.
User Experience (UX): The overall experience a user has when interacting with a product or system, including emotional and psychological responses.
Human-Centered Design: Designing products and systems with the user’s needs and perspective as the focal point, also involves iterative user testing.
Cognitive Psychology: The study of mental processes, including perception, attention, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving, to better understand human behavior and how it relates to design.
Anthropometry: The study of human physical measurements and characteristics, which is important for designing products that are ergonomic and comfortable to use.
Accessibility: Designing products and systems that are accessible to individuals with disabilities or impairments.
Information Architecture: Organizing and structuring information in a way that is easy to understand and find for users.
Visual Design: The aesthetics of a product or system, including its graphics, typography, and color scheme.
Interaction Design: The design of interactive elements of a product or system, including buttons, menus, and icons.
Human Error: Understanding the reasons why errors occur and designing systems to minimize their occurrence and impact.
Human-Machine Interaction: The study of the interaction between humans and machines, including interfaces, displays, and feedback mechanisms.
User Research: Gathering and analyzing data about users to inform product design decisions and improve user satisfaction.
Contextual Inquiry: Observing and interviewing users in their natural environment to understand their needs and behaviors.
Task Analysis: Breaking down tasks into smaller steps to understand how users approach and complete them.
Usability Testing: Testing a product or system with users to identify problems and improve its usability.
User Persona: Creating fictional characters that represent the target user group of a product, to better understand their needs and goals.
User Journey: Mapping out the different stages and touchpoints a user experiences when interacting with a product, to identify areas for improvement.
User Scenarios: Creating realistic scenarios that illustrate how a user would use a product or system in their everyday life.
Prototyping: Creating preliminary versions of a product or system to test and iterate on its design.
Design Patterns: Reusable solutions to common design problems, to improve consistency and usability across products and systems.
Ergonomics: The study of how people interact with the physical components of a computer interface, such as the keyboard, mouse, or monitor.
Cognitive Ergonomics: The study of how people think and process information when using computer interfaces.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI): The broader field that encompasses all aspects of how people interact with computers, including hardware, software, and user interfaces.
User Experience (UX): The study of how people feel and react while using computer interfaces.
User Interface (UI): The design of the visual components of a computer interface, including color, layout, and typography.
Information Architecture (IA): The organization and structure of digital content and the way it is accessed by users.
Interaction Design (IxD): The creation of intuitive, responsive, and engaging user interfaces that help people perform tasks efficiently.
Visual Design: The creation of digital graphics and visual elements that communicate information and convey emotion.
Usability Research: The process of testing and evaluating computer interfaces with real users to identify areas for improvement.
Accessibility: The design of computer interfaces that are inclusive and usable by people of all abilities, including those with disabilities.
User-Centered Design (UCD): The process of designing computer interfaces around the needs and preferences of users.
Gamification: The integration of game-like elements into digital applications to increase user engagement and motivation.
Anthropometry: The study of human body measurements, proportions, and physical abilities to design digital applications that are comfortable and safe to use.
Aesthetics: The study of beauty and design principles used in computer interface design to create visually pleasing and attractive interfaces.
Contextual Design: The process of understanding the context in which users will be using a digital application to design interfaces that meet their needs and preferences.
Persona Development: Creating fictional characters that represent various user groups to help designers understand the needs, preferences, and behaviors of their target audience.
Affordances: The design of computer interfaces that communicate how objects should be used and interacted with.
Social Computing: The study of how people collaborate, share information, and communicate within digital environments.
Emotional Design: The integration of design elements such as color, imagery, and typography to create computer interfaces that elicit specific emotions from users.
Virtual and Augmented Reality: The design of computer interfaces that simulate real-world experiences or create immersive environments using virtual or augmented reality technologies.
"The primary goals of human factors engineering are to reduce human error, increase productivity and system availability, and enhance safety, health and comfort with a specific focus on the interaction between the human and equipment."
"The field is a combination of numerous disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, engineering, biomechanics, industrial design, physiology, anthropometry, interaction design, visual design, user experience, and user interface design."
"Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design to optimize human well-being and overall system performance."
"Human factors engineering is relevant in the design of such things as safe furniture and easy-to-use interfaces to machines and equipment."
"Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability."
"Human factors and ergonomics are concerned with the 'fit' between the user, equipment, and environment or 'fitting a job to a person' or 'fitting the task to the man'."
"To assess the fit between a person and the used technology, human factors specialists or ergonomists consider the job (activity) being done and the demands on the user; the equipment used (its size, shape, and how appropriate it is for the task), and the information used (how it is presented, accessed, and changed)."
"Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, information design, kinesiology, physiology, cognitive psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, and space psychology."
"Human factors research employs methods and approaches from these and other knowledge disciplines to study human behavior and generate data relevant to previously stated goals."