Reviews (3)

Good introduction to Human Factors Engineering
Wickens et al. really fill the gap between system engineering and cognitive psychology. I have found quite a few of books of this kind. Extraordinary!
Wickens is a true pioneer in the field of human factors who fills the gap between (system) engineering and cognitive psychology with great diligence and competence. This book, "An Introduction to Human Factors Engineering", is another excellent reference tool made for engineers to integrate psychologic research results in their creations; I read it in combination with Wickens' "Engineering Psychology and Human Performance", which concentrates rather on the psychological perspective of human factors than on practical design advices. Both books have considerable overlappings, and are similar to each other, even in the structure of the chapters; nevertheless, I highly recommend them both. I have not (yet) found better literature for this field.

Valuable introduction and future resource to Human Factors,
Informative presentation of basic Human Factors principles from a psychology perspective.Touches on Cognition, Perception, and the Design Process.The last of which is extremely valuable for any UI design.Handy reference tool. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    2. General    3. Human engineering    4. Industrial Design - General    5. Psychology    6. Occupational & industrial psychology    7. Occupational / industrial health & safety    8. Production engineering    9. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    10. Technical design   

Reviews (5)

Interesting...
This book arrived in good condition from the sender and before time.The book inself is very interesting and will serve its purpose.

HUMAN FACTORS
I AM A BIG FAN OF THE AUTHOR, AND HAVE USED HIS WORKS IN THE PRACTICE OF MY WORK MANY TIMES, THE BOOK, IS GOOD WITH MANY PRACTICAL EXAMPLES, BUT SADLY DOES NOT SEEM TO TELL ME ANYMORE THAN I ALREADY KNEW. ....I WAS HOPING FOR MORE.
great reference - cd is pretty worthless
this book is a great reference for those who deal in any way with the human form. i, for example, am a 3d character animator andthis book is perfect for nailing correct human proportions and visualizing range of motion. however, the accompanying cd is basically an advertisement for ErgoForms, the autocad version of the drawings in the book. only the 1% man drawing (the smallest average male figure)is included on the cd, which is pretty useless for what i need. if the book weren't so expensive i'd give it a four star rating. i thought i was getting more on the cd to warrant the price. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Drafting    3. Design, Industrial    4. General    5. Human engineering    6. Industrial Design - General    7. Interior Design - General    8. Architecture / Interior Design    9. Ergonomics    10. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    11. Mechanical Engineering & Materials   

Editorial Review

Anyone who designs anything to be used by humans--from physical objects to computer programs to conceptual tools--must read this book, and it isan equally tremendous read for anyone who has to use anything created by another human. It could forever change how you experience and interact with your physical surroundings, open your eyes to the perversity of bad design andthe desirability of good design, and raise your expectations about how things Read more

Reviews (99)

Do not continue with life until reading!
This update to "The Psychology of everyday things" is quite possibly my favorite book.Let me start with the negatives, as I can think of so few: I will admit that at times Donald Norman draws out his points to the extent that one wonders if he needed to meet a word count for a particular section.And some of the concepts are outdated (notably the magical 5-7 range; psychologists have put that one out to pasture).
Ever wonder...
If you've ever wondered how things come into being and concepts behind them? Then this book is for you. For me, it aided me by gaining a better understanding into what sort of concepts I should be working through in forming my presentations for work.

Read this book to feel good about yourself
Everyone's got one's share of distressing moments, failing to use some variations of widely utilized hardware like doors, windows, entertainment systems, faucets etc. I know I've got quite a lot of them. I used to think it was because I am slightly dyslexic.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Design, Industrial    5. General    6. Human engineering    7. Industrial Design - General    8. Psychological aspects    9. Ergonomics    10. Product design    11. Psychology    12. Design   

Reviews (3)

Seminal Work on Human Factors

My most valuable book
Pardon the cliche but if you're only going to buy one 'hand' book (it's more like a phone book), this is the one you should get.It covers conventional physical ergonomics, as well as every other significant genre in the field. Ergo Buster
A definate must for the Ergo student! The book has excellent describtive definitions and is an eye opener to the world of work. It focus on a diffirent perspective on the qaulity of worklife. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Industrial    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Human engineering    4. Industrial Design - General    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Mechanical Engineering & Materials    9. Psychology    10. Technology / Engineering / Industrial   

Reviews (2)

Good News!
A review of our book stated that the body measurement data came from 1960 Air Force studies.The reviewer should be pleased to know that the book actually contains some of the latest anthropometric data available for the U.S. population.Just before publication of the Human Factors Design Handbook, the U.S. Army completed measurements of nearly 9000 subjects. These data are contained in our book.While this is not a profile of the civilian population (male and female subjects ranged from age 18 to 51), it does provide fairly good estimates.Unfortunately, even now there is no comprehensive survey data for United States civilian population.Currently the Society of Automotive Engineers is coordinating a massive survey of United States and European civilian populations.The project participants include Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and several industrial partners.The survey is called the Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource, or CAESARTM and data should be available late in 2001. A rerun with only a few new parts
As a Human Factors professional that owns the 1st addition, shortly after purchasing this version (2nd edition), I questioned my wisdom.Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Human engineering    5. Industrial Design - General    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Ergonomics    10. Technology / Engineering / General   

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Human engineering    3. Industrial Health & Safety    4. Industrial accidents    5. Science/Mathematics    6. System failures (Engineering)    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Aerospace & aviation technology    10. Ergonomics    11. Occupational / industrial health & safety    12. Social issues   

Reviews (3)

SPARKS THINKING ON TOPIC OVERLOOKED IN ORGANIZATION CHANGE.
Explores the design of the physical workplace and the role this factor plays in improving productivity and operational effectiveness. Based on a four-year research project conducted by the MIT School of Architecture andPlanning's Space Planning and Organization Research Group, this bookintroduces the concept of Process Architecture, meaning engaging a widearray of stakeholders in rethinking the dynamic relationship between workprocesses and the spatial, technological, financial, and organizationalenvironments with which these processes occur. The authors provide acomprehensive explanation of the approach and framework with cases from thefield. For those concerned with organizational strategy and design, thiswork introduces a key aspect-the workplace-often overlooked in organizationchange initiatives. This is an thoughtful book with original thinking.Highly recommended. Reviewed by Gerry Stern and Yvette Borcia, founders,Stern & Associates and HR Knowledge Network, authors of Stern'sSourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business ManagementInformation & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern'sCompensation and Benefits.

essential for AI, TQM, board gurus, systems planners
a new field - or major branch - of Architecture is now upon us.As Senior Advisor for Arificial Intelligence, i recommend quickscan of this matter. Graphs & color pgs help speed input, comprehenshun. Recommend translation to video, etc. Read w hiliter & make notes freely...Do itin team-read fashion.

essential for AI, TQM, board gurus, systems planners
a new field - or major branch - of Architecture is now upon us.As Senior Advisor for Arificial Intelligence, i recommend quickscan of this matter. Graphs & color pgs help speed input, comprehenshun. Recommend translation to video, etc. Read w hiliter & make notes freely...Do itin team-read fashion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture - Human Factors    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Development - Business Development    6. Entrepreneurship    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Job Design    9. Management - General    10. Work design    11. Work environment    12. Business & Economics / Management    13. Ergonomics    14. Office & workplace    15. Organizational theory & behaviour    16. Theory of architecture   

Reviews (1)

Longwinded And Poorly Organized
I used this book in a graduate Human Factors course, and while I disliked it at first, I slowly grew to hate it. I give it two stars because it does, on occasion, contain good information, but more often than not is disjointed, poorly organized, and unfocused.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Aircraft Operation    4. Aviation - General    5. Engineering - Industrial    6. Human factors    7. Industrial Psychology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Transportation    10. Aerospace & aviation technology    11. Ergonomics    12. Human-computer interaction    13. Technology / Engineering / Industrial   

Reviews (2)

Good for beginners
Very well written and provides a comprehensive introduction of ergonomics to the beginner.

Go for it, you won't regreat
I bought this book for my school text. It is comprehensive and well organised. Good for beginners...give it a try! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Engineering Design    3. Environmental Engineering & Technology    4. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    5. Human engineering    6. Industrial Design - General    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Ergonomics    11. Technology / Engineering / Industrial   

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Industrial    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Human engineering    6. Industrial Design - General    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Ergonomics    11. Technology / Engineering / Industrial   

Editorial Review

With the many recent advances in technology, it seems, there has followed a diminution of quality. Electronic books have several advantages over their print counterparts, for instance. But for the time being, they're hard to use and unattractive to boot. Computers, which are supposed to make our lives easier, are commonly sources of frustration and wasted time. Movies are wondrously chock-a-block with special effects--but someone forgot the story. And so on.Read more

Reviews (17)

Pull me, Push you!
If you are stymied when trying to set a $10 alarm clock, or find yourself pushing on doors clearly labeled "PULL" or you let your VCR player blink 12:00 because it defies your best programming efforts, then a visit with the good Dr. Donald Norman will set everything aright.
A brief introduction to human-machine interactions
This book, while dated, attracted my attention as a primer for the world of human-machine interactions.It covers well some common mistakes made by designers, and offers different ways of thinking (and procedures) crafted to help those building interfaces (physical or electronic) improve the experience of th end user. Interesting for everyone
This is not a book on Psychology, nor it is written just for designers. Every person who read this book will find interesting information and will recognize some own experiences trying to make some devices work, and I do not mean complex ones, but as simple as a light switch.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cognitive Psychology    2. Consumer Behavior - General    3. Design, Industrial    4. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    5. Human engineering    6. Industrial Design - General    7. Psychological aspects    8. Psychology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Occupational & industrial psychology    11. Popular psychology   

Reviews (3)

Human Factor Guidelines
"Human Factors in Flight" is an excellent book in human factors for aviators that is well written in simple English making it easy to follow and understand by non-experts in the field. Human factors encompasses a wide range of knowledge, skills and attitudes including communications, situational awareness, problem solving, decision making, and teamwork.
Macro/micro view of aviators working environment, excellent
Concise, clear and through view of the inner and outer working environment of an aviators life. Very well researched and documented in an easy to understand format, no technojargon to confuse the novice.Required readingfor any current or aspiring commercial pilots, and a must have for industrysafety affiliates. Good use of informative and entertaining illustrationsand graphs, not stuffy or boring. Up to date with current technology andencompasses history as well.This is an excellent book.

Exelent
An exceptional view of the inner workings of the aviator. Used by the Aviation Safety Officer course at the Naval Post Graduate School. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Aircraft Operation    3. Aviation - General    4. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    5. Technology & Industrial Arts    6. Transportation    7. Aerospace & air transport industries    8. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    9. Occupational & industrial psychology   

Subjects:  1. Cognition    2. Cognitive Psychology    3. Engineering - Industrial    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Human-machine systems    6. Industrial Design - General    7. Psychology    8. Research & Methodology    9. Task analysis    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Cognition & cognitive psychology    12. Technology / Engineering / Industrial   

Reviews (2)

Essential
Essential reading for the pragmatic, sensible and successful application of Human Factors to anyone in industry. A must-have for students and practitioners in human factors!
Alphonse Chapanis is one of the founding fathers of the field of human factors engineering and probably its most important author.His numerous books and publications over the past half century serve as a foundation forthose engaged in the design of user-friendly tools, systems andenvironments. Now he presents what may be his best work, a comprehensivedescription of how the human factors design process actually proceeds.Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    3. Human engineering    4. Industrial Design - General    5. Industrial Technology    6. Information Management    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Systems Engineering    9. Technology    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Ergonomics    12. Human-computer interaction    13. Systems analysis & design    14. Technology / Industrial Design / General   

Reviews (2)

Useful in Academic Settings
I've used this book when teaching a human-computer interaction (HCI) course in an engineering psychology program. While there are two extensive texts on HCI I found their emphasis too much on the engineering side. Bailey, while including good technical material, also provides a perspective that fits well with engineering psychology. His information combines well with that in books by Wickens. Very good book..
It's a very good book. I liked it because it illustrates many problems with human computer interaction/design and it also gives you hints on how to avoid these problems. The book is very straightforward and easy to understand. I specially enjoyed the sections dealing with readability and reading distances. This is the preferred book to have on my bookshelf when I'm designing consumer products. Happy reading ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers - Languages / Programming    3. Environmental Engineering & Technology    4. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    5. Human engineering    6. Interactive & Multimedia    7. Programming - Software Development    8. Programming Languages - General    9. System design    10. Systems Engineering    11. Technology    12. Ergonomics    13. Production engineering    14. Technology / Engineering / Industrial   

Reviews (3)

Ergonomics For Beginners: A Quick Reference Guide
I picked up a copy of the first edition of this book while working on my master's degree in ergonmics. I found it to be a useful quick reference. Once working as an ergonomist it proved to be a valuable tool. It is small enough to be easy to carry along when going out to work sites. The various illustrations are simple and clear; handy when explaining a concept. I've recommended it to workers, managers and supervisors who wanted a low-cost reference. It is a tool they can use after I'm gone to answer basic questions. In short, if you want one book about ergonomics and are concerned about cost then this one would be an excellent choice.

research and design info
great book for beginners! lots of wonderful simple to understand images and captions follow. very informative about the requirements of ergonomics in the design field and how it affects products. cheap enough to buy and keep for reference on your own bookshelf - very handy!

Review of Ergomonics For Beginners
This valuable book is loaded with imformation to help with work station and tool design, human anthropometrics, and much more.I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    2. General    3. Human engineering    4. Industrial Design - General    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Ergonomics    9. Technology / Industrial Health & Safety   

Subjects:  1. Anthropometry    2. Applied Psychology    3. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    4. Engineering - Industrial    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Human engineering    7. Industrial Design - General    8. Psychology    9. Psychopathology - General    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Ergonomics    12. Impact of computing & IT on society    13. Technology / Engineering / Industrial   

Reviews (2)

From the grandfathers of ergonomics
This is an excellent introductory review of ergonomics, written by two of the recognised top authorities in this field of study. It is a strongly recommended starting point for students seeking to orientate themselves in ergonomic science.

Compact Comprehensive Usable Guide to Ergonomics
This is one of those books that captures the essentials, to a usable level of depth, for a particular subject- that leads to it becoming a "working book" rather than a "shelf book". Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Engineering & Technology    2. General    3. Human engineering    4. Human mechanics    5. Industrial Health & Safety    6. Industrial hygiene    7. Medical / Nursing    8. Physiological aspects    9. Physiology    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology    12. Work    13. Ergonomics    14. Occupational / industrial health & safety    15. Technology / Industrial Health & Safety   

Reviews (4)

Good content, questionable printing quality
Good explanation of traditional work measurement techniques and does discuss their application to support the "trendy" lean manufacturing techniques.As such, will help practioners of lean techniques to use a sound engineered/quantified approach.At times, seems like a commercial for author's consulting business.Page paper quality, photocopy pictures and illustrations are not professional quality.Price is questionable given printing quality.

Motion & Time Study for FAT Manufacturing
Although this book has valuable information regarding traditional time and motion techniques, it does a poor job of addressing the lean manufacturing aspect.In today's dynamic manufacturing environment, the Industrial Engineer is forever pressed to increase throughput and reduce inventories rather than study time standards in infinite detail.Given these constraints, the fusion of more contemporary lean manufacturing techniques with traditional time and motion studies was severely lacking in this textbook.

introduction to work study and related topics
Productivity Improvement Muda ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - Medical Technology    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Engineering - Mechanical    4. Environmental Engineering & Technology    5. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    6. Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning    7. Management - General    8. Manufacturing    9. Methods engineering    10. Motion study    11. Production Engineering    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Technology    14. Time study    15. Manufacturing industries    16. Mathematics and Science    17. Technology / Engineering / Mechanical   

Reviews (2)

Design Principles For Senior Living
The author gives advice on designing and furnishing a smart aging home, providing room-by-room analyses, checklists, and recommendations for resources. She addresses specific physical conditions and considers 'the healing bedroom' as a means to setting up a home hospital. And she covers 'the caring community', outlining the local support systems available for the onset of health and disability issues. (I found the reference to 'motion seating' and the company that makes it to be worth the price of the book alone.) Having seen my father through his last years, I already had an appreciation of the need for things as basic as proper seating and an accessible bathroom. The author's experience with her mother's Alzheimer's disease gave me even more to think about. This book appears to be going out of print which is unfortunate because it is quite practical. Buy it while you can.

A fine book
Briefly, a fine book to sensitize one to issues of design as they apply to older persons.Although much of this book pertains to new constructions, I used it to sensitize me to issues that were also relevant to retrofit--such as putting up railings, etc., in an existing house. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture - Human Factors    3. Design & Construction    4. Domestic    5. Dwellings    6. Gerontology    7. Human factors    8. Interior decoration    9. Older people    10. Social Gerontology    11. United States    12. Architectural structure & design    13. Building skills    14. Elderly    15. Ergonomics    16. House maintenance    17. Residential buildings, domestic buildings