The Organisational Homelessness of ‘Human Factors’

In this post, I outline four common homes for HF/E within organisations, drawing on personal experience in each of the four organisational divisions in different organisations. I conclude with some of the implications of organisational homelessness.

‘Human Factors’ and ‘Human Performance’: What’s the Difference?

The term ‘Human Performance’ (and ‘Human and Organisational Performance’ (or HOP) has become increasingly common…

The Commercialisation and Commodification of Competency

Two or three years ago, I undertook a course involving UX ‘certification’. I had already…

The Problem with Professional Appropriation: The Case of ‘Human Factors’ and ‘Ergonomics’

In a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper by journalist Liam Mannix (A…

Suitably Qualified and Experienced? Five Questions to Ask Before Buying Human Factors Training or Consultancy

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among…

The Loneliest Profession in Healthcare

You’d expect that Human Factors/Ergonomics would be very relevant to the NHS. But is it actually integrated?

Human Factors and Ergonomics: Looking Back to Look Forward

During the second world war, the United States lost hundreds of planes in accidents that…

Human Factors at The Oscars

It has variously been described as “an incredible and almost unbelievable gaffe” (Radio Times), “the greatest mistake in Academy Awards history” (Telegraph), “an extraordinary blunder…an unprecedented error” (ITV News), “the most spectacular blunder in the history of the starry ceremony” and “the most awkward, embarrassing Oscar moment of all time: an extraordinary failure” (Guardian). It was, of course, the Grand Finale of the Oscars 2017.

Reducing ‘The Human Factor’

If you work in an industry such as transportation or healthcare – where human involvement is…

Human Factors and Humanistic Psychology: Distant Cousins

Human factors and humanistic psychology are two human disciplines that emerged from adversity during the…