Click here to skip to main content.
Home Page
Introduction Human Factors Model Usability Visual Displays Non-Visual Displays Controls Environment Cognition Training Team Performance
Introduction Module navigation.
Introduction Module Overview
Introduction Module Navigating the site
Introduction Module Foundations
Introduction Module Description
Take the quiz for this module
 
Introduction > Foundations - 2 of 6
 
 


What's in a Name?

Human Factors

For this course, we will adopt the description of Human Factors put forth by one of the founders of the field, Alphonse Chapanis, to wit:

"Human factors is a body of knowledge about human abilities, human limitations, and other human characteristics that are relevant to design.

What we do is human factors engineering, which I define this way—

Human factors engineering is the application of human factors information to the design of tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environment for safe, comfortable, and effective human use."

We will also follow Dr. Chapanis in considering Human Factors as synonymous with Ergonomics.

"Whether we call ourselves human factors professionals or ergonomists is mostly an accident of where we happen to work and where we were trained.  We are all—human factors professionals and ergonomists—ultimately concerned with trying to shape the world in which we live so that it will better suit us and our needs."

(HSIAC, Vol 2, Nbr 3, Summer 1991)

  
   
Home
Previous Page Next Page