Human Factors

I am adding a page about HumanFactorsAndObjectOrientedProgramming. While many things have been posted here that are relevant to that topic, I'm not sure they've ever been grouped together using exactly that filter or perspective. This is a perspective I have found illuminating in my years of programming on teams largely informed by the OO vision. --BeauWilkinson

Approaching design problems by thinking about how people will use the resulting design, or more generally how the design winds up being used by humans. Worthwhile since in the world of most products, software, and tools, if it's not being used it probably isn't helping anyone, nor making them any money. :)

Also: HumanComputerInteraction, UsabilityStudies?, LanguageUsability

I think HumanFactors is not an approach to design problems in the first place. HumanFactors are just reality whereever humans are involved. Of particular interest are the limitations of human capabilities like memory, mental workload, span of attention, physical properties and capabilities, etc. The approach to design problems taking those into account is also known as UsabilityEngineering.

-- SvenTuerpe

http://www.baddesigns.com/ is a site documenting bad HumanFactors designs, few of which have to do with software.

There is more to human factors than user interface design. Program language and software design involves taking into consideration the human factors of the software maintainers, for example. Or, the office politics of deciding what and how to do something.

CategoryHumanFactors