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Improving integration
Human factors integration (HFI) is crucial for ensuring complex systems are safe, effective and user-friendly. And while new research in the journal Ergonomics has highlighted challenges to implementation, it also points to a number of solutions and opportunities. Gaps in awareness, training and rollout are identified but the researchers offer strategies to overcome these issues.
They looked at HFI awareness and implementation at a missile and guided weapons development company, focusing on the application of HFI principles, obstacles and potential areas of improvement. While their findings focus on the defence industry, the insights offered are applicable to other sectors. Interviews with employees in various roles found HFI awareness was inconsistent, with limited formal training. Organisational and cultural resistance also hindered HFI, amid concerns over costs, timelines and perceived complexities.
The study also noted that HFI was often integrated too late in the systems engineering process, resulting in costly redesigns and hindering effectiveness. End-user involvement was also limited and inconsistent during the design stages. Researchers said: “There was a clear bias towards technical and logical expertise, reflecting an organisational culture that values engineering over human factors.”
But strategies to address challenges are also suggested, including enhancing training programmes at all levels of an organisation and fostering a culture that values HFI through “leadership commitment, continuous communication on the importance of HFI and the alignment of organisational goals with HFI objectives”.
Another recommendation is early involvement by the end users of systems into adopting HFI into the systems engineering process, with HFI facilitated through model-based systems engineering and human-in-the-loop simulations – a shift from accommodating users through interfaces to integrating their needs into the design process.
Formal HFI plans are also advised, along with the appointment of dedicated human factors integrators to oversee and coordinate activities. Employing cost-benefit models can help demonstrate how HFI “can lead to substantial cost savings”, the researchers add. The study concludes that formally integrating human factors into procurement contracts is a “necessity” to achieve “consistency and effectiveness”.
