Human Factors Engineering: Designing for Diversity and Accessibility

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1137-1140
Author(s):  
Jacklin Stonewall ◽  
Rod Roscoe ◽  
Claudia Mont’Alvão ◽  
Elizabeth Lerner Papautsky ◽  
Jon Sanford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Human Factors Engineering ◽  
Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽  
Lead Users ◽  
Society Annual ◽  
Equity And Inclusion ◽  
By Products

As the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee enters its fifth year, it continues to encourage the society, annual meeting attendees, and human factors professionals to improve diversity and equity within the field. At the center of this field are humans and their widely varying needs and abilities. While HFE professionals devote themselves to these needs, their details are often overlooked in order to design for what is assumed to be a majority of users. These assumptions can then lead users to be rejected by products, systems, or objects. This rejection indicates a lack of accessibility, which affects millions worldwide. In this panel, experts in the areas of universal design, healthcare, and accessible design will discuss how to “do” accessibility while demonstrating that accessibility should be considered a required component of usability.

Broadening Diversity and Inclusivity in Human Factors and Ergonomics

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 541-545
Author(s):  
Mia Spiwak ◽  
Abigail R. Wooldridge ◽  
Rory Lusebrink
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Breakout Session ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽  
Broadening Participation ◽  
Creativity And Innovation

Diversity and inclusivity are important, with demonstrated impact on numerous outcomes, including breadth, creativity, and innovation of work as well as satisfaction and commitment to organizations. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Diversity and Inclusion Committee is charged with increasing diversity and inclusiveness within the society and, by extension, within the Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) profession. We conducted a thematic analysis of an alternative format session at the HFES 2019 Annual Meeting, focusing on a breakout session where attendees discussed “Broadening Participation in HF/E.” Participants reported current levels of diversity and inclusion in the HF/E profession are lacking due to a limited early knowledge about the field compounded by resource barriers, which ultimately prevents involvement in outreach activities intended to increase participation. Thoughtfully designed outreach activities and partnerships with relevant organizations and individuals could mitigate these factors, provided outreach activities are designed to be accessible to all.

Advancing Equitable and Just Practices in Human Factors and Ergonomics

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 530-534
Author(s):  
Rory Lusebrink ◽  
Abigail R. Wooldridge ◽  
Mia Spiwak
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽  
Social Inequities ◽  
Do So

Marginalized people are disproportionately harmed by systemic social inequities; human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) professionals can address these systemic issues by developing and implementing equitable and just practices. To identify practical steps to transform ergonomic practice, we thematically analyzed two group discussions from a session focused on diversity, inclusion, and justice at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). We identified 36 recommendations to advance equitable and just practices in HF/E, for both practitioners and academics. HF/E professionals should be particularly mindful about historical harm when engaging with vulnerable populations and take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of all people. HF/E professionals can do so by building relations with and empowering community members as well as learning methods of engagement from other fields.

Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 478-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Moroney ◽  
Brian M. Anderson ◽  
Jennifer I. Soest
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Human Factors Engineering ◽  
Job Description ◽  
Minimum Requirement ◽  
Test And Evaluation ◽  
Human Factors And Ergonomics

During the period from November 1995 through October 1996, the Placement Service of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society distributed announcements describing 195 positions available for human factors engineers and ergonomics professionals. This paper describes placement opportunities for HFE and ergonomics professionals in industry, government/military and consulting positions (N=162), while an overview of all advertised positions, and a description of academic (N=8) and internship positions (N=25) is provided in Part I (Moroney, Proulx & Parker, 1997). The attributes of the position descriptions examined include: degree requirements, major field of study, industrial sector, areas of expertise, required work experience, salary, geographic location, job description and skills required. Fifty-seven percent of the positions describe the masters degree as the minimum requirement, with 18% of the opportunities in the consulting sector. The area of expertise most frequently requested (69%) was HCI, with test and evaluation (specifically usability testing) being specified for 44% of the positions. The most frequently cited (35%) primary area of responsibility was interface design.

Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals in Industry and Government/Military Positions

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 788-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor J. Anderson ◽  
Deborah L. Bakowski ◽  
William F. Moroney
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Human Factors Engineering ◽  
Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽  
Employment Sector ◽  
Placement Service ◽  
The Government

During the period from January 2004 through December 2004, the Placement Service of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society distributed announcements describing 115 new positions available for human factors and ergonomics professionals. This paper describes the 92 placement opportunities in Industry and the Government/Military. The attributes of the position descriptions examined include: employment sector, degree requirements, work experience, expertise, salary, and geographic location. The type of industry seeking most employees was Consumer Products at 16%. The degree required was usually a Masters (43.5%) and the geographic area with the most jobs was the Northeast (N=15). The area of expertise most frequently requested by employers was Human Computer Interaction (N=50). Human Factors/Ergonomics (N=22) was the most commonly specified job expertise. During the period from October 25, 2004 through December 25, 2004, forty-three announcements for new positions were listed on HFCareers.com . Findings are discussed separately for the HFES Placement Service and HFCareers.

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