Human Factors: The Forces that Shape Behaviour with Products, Technology, and Systems

Why do some products satisfy while others frustrate? What human factors lead to the acceptance and repeated use of new technologies? Designers want their products to be useful, usable, and desirable. Organisations want their people to thrive in their work environments, and engineers want their technologies to be functional and safe. This course looks at these and other topics as it examines the science behind why, and how, people think about, experience, and engage with the ‘artificial’ or human-made world. More particularly, students will learn about the specific human factors (e.g., cognitive, emotional, and physical) that shape our behaviour-with everything from bleeding-edge technologies to the design of workplaces, transportation, healthcare, websites, artificial intelligence, and even cybersecurity strategies. Along the way, students will develop foundational knowledge for researching and applying psychological science to a wide range of products and environments. As the demand for human factors expertise in nearly every industry (and in every corner of the workforce) continues to expand, there is a vast array of possibilities open to students with the skills and knowledge they gain from this course.