Human factors, or ergonomics, explores how humans interact with the products, systems, and environments around us. Loughborough has lead research and teaching in this space for the last 65 years, and has facilitated improvements in areas such as sports clothing, healthcare training, road signs, and factory designs.
After a successful exhibition at Derby’s Museum of Making, which saw over 11,000 people visit the exhibit, the collaborative team working in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) who developed ‘Think Human’ have now displayed their findings online to make it accessible to a wider audience.
Showcasing the different elements of human factors and ergonomics, the website will provide visitors the chance to start ‘thinking human’ and also provide insights into the career paths young people could take to lead them to jobs related to ergonomics. This aims to bridge the gap between school subjects and career choices, by showing links through degree options for further areas of study. This can be used by students, parents and teachers, to explore interests relating to school subjects, widening opportunities for learning pathways.
Think Human was also supported by a Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious award, which facilitated the creation of videos, learning materials and interactive workshops to help students explore how human factors integrates the world. These inspire through the relation to everyday - how medals are won at international competitions, why we seem to push doors labelled ‘pull’, and how we can use systems thinking to make the best cup of tea.
The site divides the content into separate sections, allowing users to explore how human factors help design products for people; design systems; and how human factors might be used over the course of the next 75 years. This also includes elements such as sustainability, nuclear and artificial intelligence.
Dr Rebecca Grant, from Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, who led on the project, said: “The exhibition did a fantastic job at inspiring school-age students to consider how the world is designed more effectively around them.
"Developing the online content allows the Ergonomics and Human Factors community to have a wider outreach, enabling students to explore careers, and crucially provides stepping stones to know how to get there. As our world evolves at a rapid pace, it is important we inspire and develop the next generation to think human.”
In supporting more young people into this sector, Ben Peachey, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors said: “Human factors is about understanding people and designing systems that help them perform at their best. Demand for these skills is growing rapidly across every sector, but we need more curious, motivated people to step into the profession.
"Think Human provides the inspiration for young people who want a career that genuinely makes a difference. Human factors has never been more important — or more exciting.”
More information can be found on the Think Human website.