Human Factors Engineering

Human Factors Engineering may sound complex, but most people actually encounter it every day—usually when it is lacking. For example, have you ever flipped on a light switch to find it operates a lamp across the room? Arranging light switches so that there's no mystery as to what light they turn on is good human factors design. Human Factors Engineering (HFE) takes into consideration the capabilities and limitations of the human operator—both physical and mental—and how these should be used to guide the design of systems with which people interact. This is an important function when implementing new or modified mission-critical avionics and aviation systems for military or commercial applications. ARINC offers a full scope of HFE capabilities that covers:

• Planning—Development of human engineering program plans, human systems integration plans, systems engineering master plans, test and evaluation master plans, and software safety plans
• Documentation—Development of requirementsdefinition and support documentation
• Analysis—Performance of system risk analysis, task analyses, functional analyses, and task network model analyses
• Collaboration—Lead cockpit working group meetings, aircrew or maintainer advisory panels, commercial products focus groups or prototyping teams.
• Test and Evaluation—Systematically collect human-systems interaction data to support or modify designs throughout the design process.

ARINC’s unique HFE methodology uses:

• A multidisciplinary approach—When performing HFE activities, we call on a wide range of in-house specialists, from engineering psychologists and industrial and computer engineers, to pilots and systems operators.
• A “user-centered” and systems engineering view of the human-system interface—With the traditional approach, the human-system interface is only considered after system functional requirements have been defined, hardware and software have been specified, and the user-interface has been “set” using mostly off-the-shelf technology and products. In contrast, ARINC’s user-centered approach treats HFE as an integral part of the systems engineering design process. We evaluate human factors issues from the establishment of system functional requirements, identify the information required by the crew, evaluate how individuals or teams will perform their tasks, and only then define hardware and software requirements that facilitate the interface. Based on rapid prototyping and testing, we then modify the interface, as needed, to optimize task performance and safety.

ARINC’s HFE engagements typically start with our obtaining an understanding of the mission and operating environment. Our avionics, systems, and safety engineers, and other specialists, then work side-by-side with the client’s workstation working groups, aircrew systems advisory panels, and flight and ground crews to define system requirements, perform the design, evaluate human factors issues, and perform rapid prototyping, modeling, and simulations.