Human Factors Engineering

Course summary: This two-week human factors course concerns the design of systems, products and services to make them easier, safer and more effective for human use.

Provider: University of Michigan Integrative Systems + Design
Location: Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Duration: Two weeks : July 24-29 2017 & July 31 – August 4 2017
Knowledge/experience needed: none
Email: isd-answers@umich.edu
Website: isd.engin.umich.edu/humanfactors

Who should attend?
This course is intended for engineers, psychologists, medical professionals, managers, and others interested in human factors, ergonomics, human-computer interaction, or usability. Many participants are not human factors specialists, but mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, psychologists, and others for whom human use of systems is a concern.

Why should you attend?
This immersive training program provides hands-on user interface design experience for anyone looking to improve their organization through proven user interface evaluation techniques.

What will you learn?
The first week of the course focuses on human factors concepts and is a broad survey of human factors topics important to designers and researchers. Human-computer interaction is the focus for week two of the course and presents an overview of major topics and issues in human-computer interaction through workshops on selected concepts, methods, and procedures that provide the foundation for design of effective human-computer systems and web applications.

Expected outcomes: Participants will:
– Get an insider’s view of human factors engineering
– Gain experience and training in usability testing, user-centered design, and user interface evaluation

Course content:
Week one of this intensive course is a broad survey of human factors topics important to designers and researchers:
– Introduction to human factors
– Advanced displays
– Anthropometry
– Cognitive task analysis
– Human error
– Human-system integration
– Human vision
– Manual task analysis
– Motor skills and manual controls
– Occupational biomechanics (two lectures)
– Perception, memory and cognition
– Situation awareness
– Visual displays
– Workload

Week two presents an overview of major topics and issues in human-computer interaction together with mini-workshops and seminars on selected principles, methods, and procedures providing the foundation for effective human-computer systems and web application design.
– Trends in human-computer interaction
– Automation
– Cognitive task analysis
– Collaborative and social computing
– Cost-benefit analysis
– Environmental Ergonomics
– GOMS task analysis
– How to apply human factors material
– Inclusive design
– Screen and widget design
– Software human factors
– Speech interfaces
– Usability testing
– User interface evaluation methods
– Web interface design

Assessment: None

What’s included?
Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided each day of the course. There will also be several social events and tours following regular class hours during the two-week course.

University of Michigan Integrative Systems + Design (ISD) is dedicated to educating leaders who can think transformatively and create lasting value in the workplace and society. ISD offers a broad array of interdisciplinary technical graduate degrees, professional certificates, short courses, and custom programs that are taught by outstanding faculty from across campus along with professors of practice and experts from industry. Courses and programs are delivered on Michigan’s campus, online, at work locations around the world, or in a combination of delivery modes.