Human Factors in Product Design
Human factors in design, as a concept, have been around for almost a century, but the digital age has reinvigorated their meaning. People continue to evolve, and as human factors design is about considering people at the center, designers must grow their processes to make products more effective, appealing, and comfortable.
Although this integral branch of product design has a scientific basis—understanding the human mind and body—the discipline goes beyond that. It’s about considering the user journey, listening to feedback, and leveraging the balance between human psychology and scientific knowledge. Designers are the differentiating factor, and our input means either successful products or hard-earned lessons.
Defining Human Factors in Product Design
Human factors create a genuine point of reality where person meets product. They are as integral to product design as functionality or material choice. Although many believe human factors and ergonomics are interchangeable, the former extends beyond the physiological— including the psychological, perceptual, and cultural differences that impact how users interact with a product. These considerations are so crucial that failure to consider them can have disastrous results.
Designers are ultimately responsible for product success unless errors occur in the manufacturing process. As such, human factors influence multiple product design parameters. Some examples of human factors in design include:
Physical factors: As we mentioned, ergonomics, or physical factors, balance comfort and usability, like designing a remote control that fits comfortably in a user’s hand and arranging the buttons logically.
“Color, typography, imagery, and sound can all evoke emotional responses. ”
Cognitive factors: Cognitive load is a user’s effort spent on reasoning or thinking. In product design, the cognitive load should be low, like simplifying the display on a smartphone for easy navigation.
Emotional factors: Every user has an emotional connection to products, whether feeling confident in a medical device’s functionality or the joy a child feels when playing with a toy. Color, typography, imagery, and sound can all evoke emotional responses.
Cultural factors: Every culture perceives colors, shapes, and functionalities differently. beliefs, norms, and values influence how people interact with products.
Historical Perspectives on Human Factor Design
The concept of human factors emerged during WWII when Alphonse Chapanis found that many B-17 and B-25 airplane crashes were due to design instead of pilot errors. Medics, engineers, and pilots came together, redesigning cockpits in a collaborative process that foreshadowed today’s participatory design, in which users are involved with every process stage.
Henry Dreyfuss built on this mechanical beginning, intuitively connecting people and products throughout the next few decades. Among many other ergonomic designs, he designed the “princess” phone specifically to fit in the hands of teenage girls. He famously said, “When the point of contact between the product and people becomes a point of friction, then the industrial designer has failed.”
Dreyfuss could not have known how prophetic his words were. Today, human factors are more important than ever as consumer demand for user-friendly, intuitive products increases.
Fundamental Principles in Human Factors Design
Human factors design should aim to eliminate friction, shortening the distance between intentions and results. It seeks to achieve:
Visibility: Hick’s law states that the number of choices available increases the time it takes to make a decision. People want options, but not too many. They pick up a product with a clear intention and should immediately understand how to achieve their goal.
Feedback: Good design leaves users no doubt they’ve fulfilled their intention. With some products, it’s self-explanatory because they can see the results. Others need an additional indication, like a sound or movement, confirming to users that their actions have prompted a reaction.
Affordance: When a user sees a product, there must be a clear relationship between what it looks like and how it’s used.
Consistency: Successful human factors design means that every time a user performs the same action, they get the same result.
What Makes a Good Human Factors Design?
Within the thousands of things that make us human are components that designers can leverage to connect products and people. Human factors design is a combination of the following elements:
1. User-Centered Design
Although designers have the knowledge and expertise to elevate everyday concepts, a design fails if it doesn’t meet the target audience’s needs. User-centered design involves the user throughout the development and testing process. Its structured and iterative nature can be challenging when designers contend with rapid product development cycles, but the process is worth it. Without it, designers can only assume.
2. Design Psychology
We designers need to know what drives human beings to use a product (which is where psychology comes in). Human factors design means incorporating user psychology from concept to execution. The first step is identifying the user’s needs (the problem we’re attempting to solve). Human factors psychologists specifically design machines to support operators better.
Human psychology informs how design can elicit positive emotions and alleviate complex emotions, like frustration and lack of motivation. Well-conceived products limit the cognitive load by shortening feedback loops and limiting unnecessary stimuli.
3. Inclusive Design
Inclusive design empowers designers to make products useful to the largest possible group of people. It considers (and attempts to address) the diversity of experiences that may exclude a person from using the product. Instead of being outcomes-focused, like accessibility, it focuses more on design methodologies, recognizing that designs that work for people with disabilities may also work well for those in diverse circumstances.
4. Design for Aging
Designers in the first world must consider the rapidly aging population. Human factors specialists focus on the implications of the aging process, such as decreased auditory and visual capabilities. The aging process is relevant to human factors design, partly because it’s inevitable. Designers can consider factors like illumination levels, size of critical visual details, and the ease of color discrimination, which can make a significant difference in the lives of older adults.
5. Sensory Design
Human factors design must consider every sensory experience, including temperature and mechanoreception—the body’s perception of vibrations and other mechanical stimuli.
Sensory design aims to make sensory engagement more intentional, activating the senses to boost UX to deliver appealing and memorable products and brand experiences.
6. Ergonomics
Physical ergonomics are necessary for comfortable and enjoyable interactions with a product. Designers consider the user’s specific operations and actions and balance them with the use context and the product’s physical characteristics.
With these factors in mind, designers can produce products that achieve fundamental UX goals, like completing tasks with minimal friction and maximum enjoyment.
Future Trends in Human Factor Design: The Impact of Technology
Central to human factor design is the concept of evolving with human needs. The future of human design will likely integrate with the adoption of advanced technology. AI is already making significant progress in supporting designers and improving UX. Machine learning and AI capabilities will streamline the design process, sparking creativity in designers and using data to create more personalized experiences.
“Machine learning and AI capabilities will streamline the design process, sparking creativity in designers and using data to create more personalized experiences. ”
People and technology are integrating more closely than ever before. Human factors design brings science and design together to meet evolving user needs, applying sound physical and psychological principles to enhance people’s strengths and support their limitations.
Human Factors Design: A Realm of Unlimited Potential
When we delve into human factors in product design, we're embarking on an intricate journey rather than following a linear path. Each solution we create not only addresses current challenges but also paves the way for innovative and more impactful designs in the future. In this exciting landscape, designers craft experiences that resonate with everyday lives, opening up a world of possibilities for meaningful connections.
The SVA Product Design curriculum gives designers the tools to create for the future, covering the formal expression of ideas, providing the scaffolding of information, and exploring the critical storytelling dimensions that make product design compelling. With the right combination of tools, the next generation of product designers can address new challenges with confidence and creativity, pushing boundaries in the years to come.