"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."
The design of transportation systems and technologies with consideration for human factors such as usability, user experience, and driver behavior.
Human Factors: Human factors is the study of how humans interact with technology, environments, and other systems. It examines the relationship that exists between humans and the world around them.
User-Centered Design: User-centered design is a design philosophy that puts users at the center of the design process. It is an iterative process that involves understanding user needs, designing for those needs, and then testing those designs with users.
Human-Computer Interaction: Human-Computer Interaction is the study of how people interact with computers and computer systems. It looks at the design and development of computer systems from a user-centered perspective.
Cognitive Psychology: Cognitive psychology is the study of mental processes such as attention, memory, perception, problem-solving, and language. It is relevant to human factors and usability because it provides insight into how people process information.
Usability Testing: Usability testing is the evaluation of a product or system by testing it with users. It is used to identify design problems and to determine how well the product or system meets user needs.
Information Architecture: Information architecture is the organization of information in a way that makes it easy to find and use. It includes the design of navigation systems, labeling, and categorization.
User Experience Design: User experience design is the process of designing a product or system with the user's needs and goals in mind. It incorporates principles from human factors, cognitive psychology, and interaction design.
Interface Design: Interface design is the design of the user interface for a product or system. It involves designing the layout, colors, typography, and other visual elements.
Interaction Design: Interaction design is the design of the interactions between people and technology. It focuses on creating interfaces that are intuitive, efficient, and easy to use.
Accessibility: Accessibility is the design of products and systems that can be used by people with disabilities. It includes designing interfaces and interactions that are accessible to people with visual, auditory, or mobility impairments.
Ergonomics: Ergonomics is the study of how people interact with their environments and the tools they use. It looks at the design of products and systems to ensure they are safe, efficient, and comfortable to use.
User Research: User research is the process of gathering information about users and their needs. It is used to inform the design of products and systems and to understand how users interact with them.
Task Analysis: Task analysis is the process of breaking down a task into its component parts to understand how it is performed. It is used to identify opportunities to improve the design of products and systems.
Feedback and Control: Feedback and control systems are used to provide users with information about their actions and the state of a system. They allow users to adjust their behavior and interact with the system more effectively.
Multimodal Interaction: Multimodal interaction involves the use of multiple modes of communication, such as speech, gestures, and touch, to interact with a system. It can improve usability for users with disabilities or for users in complex environments.
Cognitive Load: It refers to the amount of information processing required by drivers or operators. In ITS, cognitive load aspects include the number of alerts or displays, complexity of instructions, and the level of attention needed to operate the system.
Age: With an aging population, ITS should take into account older adults' abilities and limitations, such as decreased vision, reduced reaction time and cognitive decline.
Vision: People with visual impairments or color blindness can encounter difficulty in using ITS, such as recognizing road signs or interpreting warnings.
Memory: Users must remember complex instructions, especially with infrequent use of an ITS interface.
Language and Culture: With the increase of diversity in travelers and operators, language barriers and cultural differences can limit the system's usability.
Motivation and Attitudes: Users can have different perceptions of ITS effectiveness and reliability, leading to confusion, frustration, or distrust.
Physical Abilities: People with disabilities such as limited mobility, upper limb or hand coordination, or hearing impairments may encounter challenges when using ITS.
User Interface Design: The user interface should provide well-designed graphical information and interaction challenges that meet users' abilities and expectations.
Human Error: Human error can derive from misunderstanding instructions, inadvertently ignoring alerts, or making unintentional errors.
Attention and Distraction: The introduction of new ITS capabilities can cause distraction and affect the driver's attention, especially in a vehicle.
Automation: Incorrect trust or over-reliance on automation can reduce situational awareness and interaction with the system.
Training: Lack of appropriate training and feedback can impede effective system use and increase the error risk.
Stress and Fatigue: Stressful situations like heavy traffic, environmental conditions, or long hours of driving can affect the driver's performance and compromise safety.
Trust: Building users' trust in ITS systems and their capabilities is essential to encourage adoption and usage.
Learning: Adoption of new ITS technologies is a complex learning process, and users need adequate guidance and support.
"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."