What is Human Factors?
By: Shawn Johnson
Tags: Human Factors, Caregiving, Problem Solving, Disability

In a household located in a small town, a person with a disability is dealing with an issue. Two issues in fact. And it deals with the medicine that is so important to his well being. Because of his condition, his eyesight is getting worse every year. He struggles to read the instructions on the dosage, as it has changed recently. A second issue is the pill bottle safety cap has changed. With his weak hands and difficulties with fine motor skills, he can not open the bottle. He skips his medicine for the day.

A mom is applying for Medicaid. It is for her newest baby who was recently diagnosed with a lifelong rare disease. She is stressed out and tired. She struggles to understand the paperwork as the flow is not logical. Her baby is crying so she stops the paperwork and attends to the child. Another day without the services her child needs.

These stories highlight the role human factors plays in our day to day lives. Human factors is often thought of from a work perspective but human factors touch everything we do. Good and bad human factors is all around us. The good goes unnoticed, the bad leads to stress and frustration.

Human factors is the intersection of humans and the environment we live in. As mentioned most times the interactions are seamless but it’s when things go wrong, it triggers us to find out why and what can be done to correct them. It is this correction where human factors come into play.

The goal of human factors is to make human interaction with a system (generally speaking) that:

Reduces errors

Increases productivity

Enhances safety

Enhances comfort

To reach these goals human factors involve the study of many factors from the physical world to how the brain works and everything in between. Human factors then looks at what change can be made to meet the predetermined goals.

The environment consists of the person (both the brain and the body) and the system he or she is in. In this system, the person is doing a task. It is noticed the task is not being performed well. This triggers an analysis of the situation. In this analysis, several issues are identified as potential reasons for the errors. This problem or set of problems need solutions.

In human factors, there are generally five different approaches that can be taken to address issues and design systems and products.

The first approach is to look at the equipment design. Equipment design looks at the nature of the physical equipment we use to complete tasks. In the above story, the medicine bottle could be made more readable and easier to open the bottle.

The second approach is task design. This approach focuses on what the user is doing and how it is done. The sequence of tasks can have a huge impact on the performance of the overall job.

The next approach is environment design, which looks at making changes to the environment. Some examples of this are changing the lighting of the room, temperature, and reduction of noise.

The four approach is training. This area looks at how we can better prepare the person to perform the task. Are there skills that this person needs that we can provide?

The final approach is selection. This technique recognizes that there are differences between people. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Some people are better suited for certain tasks. So the goal is to match the right person with the right tasks.

Whether you yourself have a disability or are a caregiver to one with one, problems are everywhere. Many of the environments you live in are not designed for you. They are designed for the majority. And because they are designed for the majority you face additional challenges.

Many times you just live with these problems. But the good thing is there are often simple solutions, we just are not in the habit of noticing them and more importantly addressing them. Maybe next time you run into a problem or something you find annoying, take a step back and say “I will fix this.” Then look at the problem through the lens of a human factors specialist and apply the five approaches mentioned above . You will be amazed at the solutions you come with. And then share them with us!