The Science of Human Factors

To be clear, however, NASA did not invent the science of human factors. Not only has the term been in use long before NASA ever existed, the concept it describes has existed since the beginning of mankind. Human factors research encompasses nearly all aspects of science and technol­ogy and therefore has been described with several different names. In simplest terms, human factors studies the interface between humans and the machines they operate. One of the pioneers of this science, Dr. Alphonse Chapanis, provided a more inclusive and descriptive definition: "Human factors discovers and applies information about human behavior, abilities, limitations, and other characteristics to the design of tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments for produc­tive, safe, comfortable, and effective human use.”[292] The goal of human factors research, therefore, is to reduce error, while increasing produc­tivity, safety, and comfort in the interaction between humans and the tools with which they work.[293]

As already suggested, the study of human factors involves a myriad of disciplines. These include medicine, physiology, applied psychology, engineering, sociology, anthropology, biology, and education.[294] These in turn interact with one another and with other technical and scientific fields, as they relate to behavior and usage of technology. Human factors issues are also described by many similar—though not necessarily syn­onymous—terms, such as human engineering, human factors engineer­ing, human factors integration, human systems integration, ergonomics, usability, engineering psychology, applied experimental psychology, bio­mechanics, biotechnology, man-machine design (or integration), and human-centered design.[295]