Human Factors Engineer
A Human Factors Engineer deals with how a product is used by humans and how it affects them overall, their pleasure, their physical capabilities and their health. They deal with a variety of standards from concept of a product to implementation, including regulatory expectations and requirements, planning steps, implementation, validation, legal and liability risks, usability (how difficult or easy it is to use a product), and more.
It is common for a Human Factors Engineer to work directly with all members of an organization from Technical Writing, Development, Software Test and various levels of management. In most cases they are dealing with electronics usage from the use of a cell phone, an Xbox to an implanted medical device, and they tend to specialize in a specific area, such as mobile computing, computer electronics, medical devices, automotive applications, military applications and more.
These individuals are often responsible for conducting various user studies, statistical analysis of experiments, identifying project requirements, performing hierarchical task analyses and designing user experience. They often also have a PHD combining Psychology and Philosophy with Computer Science and Engineering applications. |
