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Human Factors in Systems Engineering

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ISBN: 978-0-471-13782-5

February 1996

352 pages

Description
Human Factors in Systems Engineering shows how to integrate humanfactors into the design of tools, machines, and systems so thatthey match human abilities and limitations. Unlike virtually allother books on human factors, which leave the implementation ofgeneral guidelines to engineers and designers with little or nohuman factors expertise, this unique book shows that the properrole of the human factors specialist is to translate generalguidelines into project specific design requirements to whichengineers can design. Again, while other human factors books ignorethe standards, specifications, requirements, and other workproducts that must be prepared by engineers, this book emphasizesthe methods used to generate the human factors inputs forengineering work products, and the points in the developmentprocess where these inputs are needed.

Comprehensive in its scope, Human Factors in Systems Engineeringuses the systems engineering process to provide a broadunderstanding of the way human factors are used in the developmentprocess. It describes the full cycle of a design and shows whathuman factors inputs engineers and designers need at each stage ofdevelopment.

Well-organized and clearly written, this invaluable text is fullysupported by over a hundred illustrations, thirty tables, handyappendices, and extensive bibliographies. Its practical, hands-onapproach makes it an indispensable resource for professionals andadvanced students in human factors, ergonomics, industrialengineering, and systems engineering.

A unique, step-by-step guide to the application of human factors inthe system development process

Human Factors in Systems Engineering

Unlike most current texts which provide general human factorsrecommendations but leave their interpretation to designers who areusually not trained for it, this book shows the reader how toprepare project specific system requirements that engineers can useeasily and effectively. In addition, it fully explains the variouswork products--the standards and specifications--that engineersmust produce during development, and shows what human factorsinputs are required in each of them. Focusing on the entire systemsengineering process, Human Factors in Systems Engineering offersprofessionals and advanced students a fresh, much-needed approachto the role of human factors in the design of tools, machines, andsystems.
About the Author
ALPHONSE CHAPANIS is a retired professor of the Johns Hopkins University where he taught and conducted research on human factors problems for 35 years. He is past president of the Society of Engineering Psychologists, the Human Factors Society, and the International Ergonomics Association. He is also senior author of the first textbook on human factors, Applied Experimental Psychology: Human Factors in Engineering Design, published by Wiley.
Features
  • Noteworthy aids: 30 tables, 110 illustrations, extensive bibliographies and two appendices that list design acronyms and abbreviations and relevant standards.