Framing Human Factors

In Search of Definition in the Classroom and Beyond

Bruce M Hanington, Assistant Professor | Carnegie Mellon University School of Design

In the Classroom

A colleague teaching a course on contemporary design for industrial and communication
design juniors recently posed the seemingly innocent question to students for discussion,
“What is Human Factors?” The responses ranged from a complete inability to answer, to
vague notions encompassing everything about design, to specific references that met with
widespread disagreement in the class. As the teacher of record for two human factors
courses, it was naturally disappointing when this was reported back to me. Many of the same
students had in fact offered speculative definitions of human factors on the first day of an
introductory human factors course in previous years, and most had captured appropriate
elements of human-centered design even before the benefit of course content. Why was this
a difficult question to answer, particularly for those who had completed courses in the topic?
Upon reflection, it seems that to offer a concise definition of human factors proves to be no
easy matter, even when equipped with the necessary literature, resources, and professional
training. The following discussion will illustrate this challenge, and propose a framework for
understanding human factors.

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