Introduction to Human Factors

Catalog description

This course will define Human Factors (HF), which looks at design from the perspective of users and their needs, and demonstrate the various applications of HF in our daily lives (e.g., gaming, social media, healthcare, telecommunications, and defense). This course will explore the complexity and limitations of human information processing, and illustrate how to take this information into account when designing systems. Students will gain an appreciation of the cognitive, physical, environmental, and social aspects in design, and of the impact of cognitive biases. Students will also learn how to apply human centered design best practices to make a system, product, process, or application both usable and useful.