The Basics of Human Factors Psychology

Definition

Human factors psychology is a broad field of psychology that focuses on how people interact with their environment, as well as how they use products, equipment, machines, and systems. Its goal is to create and improve products, equipment, machines, and environments to complement human capabilities and maximize performance and safety.

History

The field of human factors psychology formally began during World War II when a range of experts worked together to improve the safety of airplanes. Since then, it has continued to grow and today plays a significant role in many other fields, including computing, manufacturing, product design, engineering, military, and government industries.

What Human Factors Psychologists Do

Human factors psychologists use their knowledge of human behavior, perception, attention, and cognition to create more usable products and work environments. They often conduct research on specific topics to solve real-world problems that impact human performance.

Some tasks that human factors psychologists might be involved in include: - Creating training programs - Increasing human productivity and performance - Designing more reliable products - Creating ergonomic workstations to reduce employee fatigue and injury - Researching ways to lower human errors

Specializations

Human factors psychologists may choose to specialize in a particular area. Some specialties include: - Cognitive ergonomics - Error prevention - Human-computer interaction - Product design - Usability - User experience engineering

Work Environment

Human factors psychologists are employed in a broad range of settings, including government agencies, private companies, consulting firms, and more.

Benefits of Studying Human Factors Psychology

• It is a multidisciplinary field that often works with people in other areas, including engineering, medicine, and computer science.
• It allows individuals to help others by developing products that maximize usability and strive to improve worker safety and efficiency.
• It provides opportunities to express creativity by assessing stylistic changes that can improve product usefulness and performance, designing interfaces that are easy to understand, and exploring the ways that people interact with products and environments.
• It addresses important topics such as cognition, educational technology, graphic design, human capabilities and limitations in specific work areas, instructional message design, perception, and the use of virtual reality in employee training.
• It is a growing field that presents a great deal of opportunity for those interested in topics such as ergonomics, design, and human-computer interaction.

Salary

Starting salaries in the field range between $48,000 and $75,367 per year, with those with doctorate degrees employed in the private sector earning an average of almost $179,160 per year.

Education

Most entry-level positions in the field of human factors psychology require at least a bachelor's degree, however, many human factors psychologists have a master's or doctorate degree specific to this area of study. Some HFES-accredited colleges throughout the United States that offer master's and doctorate degree programs in human factors psychology or related fields include: - Arizona State University - Auburn University in Alabama - Clemson University in South Carolina - George Mason University in Virginia - Virginia Tech