Developing products and services that are easy to use, efficient, safe, and meet the needs of customers, is not a simple task. The fact is, it is complicated to design products that are simple and intuitive to use. Conversely, it is also simple to make something unnecessarily complicated, "over engineered" or unsafe, when the research and development approach used does not, in a comprehensive and measurable way, consider the needs and characteristics of end users.

 

Changes and advances in technology also pose opportunities and challenges for organizations. Achieving the right balance between technology and customer needs and expectations is a critical determinant of a product or service's success in the market place. Product usability can be degraded in several ways, foremost being a failure to adequately understand the behaviors and capabilities of end users and applying that information into design of a product, service, or system.

Human Factors Engineering (HFE) involves the scientific analysis and integration of information about customer behaviors, characteristics, needs, and expectations in the design and testing of products, systems, and work environments. Human factors can significantly improve business and design criteria such as:

•   Brand Recognition

•   Comprehension

Further benefits of HFE includes the reduction of system and human errors and significant cost reductions for organizations in such areas as:

•   Customer service

•   Customer training

•   Legal liability

•   Product development

•   Product maintenance

•   Technology expenditures.

 

Human factors guidelines and methodologies are also widely used and mandated by various U.S. government agencies in the aviation, energy, health care, and transportation sectors.