The Human Factors Research Group offers specialist and trans-disciplinary competence in ergonomics/human factors, and in constituent disciplines of psychology, health sciences, engineering, computer science, business and management. The aim of the group is to provide understanding of people’s characteristics and behaviours at work, home, travel and leisure and to drive user-centred design and implementation for products and systems.
In terms of knowledge generation the group works in the field and the laboratory. Its close-to-industry research has involved development of innovative field research methods for use in settings and contexts as varied as air traffic control, railway signalling, GPs surgeries, distributed engineering projects, electronics assembly and bakery and textiles scheduling functions, and team and collaborative work generally. Laboratory work involves studies of human computer interfaces, monitoring with CCTV, children’s use and safety with products, biomechanics investigations of work in awkward postures, problem solving and decision making, understanding of instructions and symbols; there is a considerable body of investigatory work using our rail cab simulator, a new motorcycle simulator and use of virtual environments generally.
The work of the HFRG is carried out within a strong and successful PhD programme and also within the internationally known Institute for Occupational Ergonomics , Centre for Rail Human Factors and Virtual Reality Applications Research Team . These groups have extensive collaborative links with other research groups in the School and across the University (such as Computer Science , Pyschology and the Medical School ), as well as numerous industrial and academic partners across the UK, the EU and worldwide.