Customer Reviews

Introduction to Human Factors Engineering (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've used this book in my human factors grad/undergrad class for 4 years. This book is the only text in human factors with information from research in cognitive science, and a cognitive science perspective on human error. The book is weaker on the ergonomics and design side, and quite weak on social aspects of human factors. I use the book in combination with Don Norman's book and the Casey book of case studies.

I do not require students to memorize the book. They use it as a reference for doing problem solving and case analyses. It contains good research references and many important facts and figures that human factors and design professionals need.

My very first human factors course used this textbook, and it does an excellent job introducing and instilling the basics. It inspired me to pursue a human factors career, eight years later cumulating in a Ph.D. I now work in human-centered hardware design and find this the resource I go to most frequently to look up fundamental human factors principles. Each chapter also includes a list of resources cited in the text that I consult for more in-depth information on the wide array of topics this text covers.

This textbook is written for any human factors engineering application purpose, but did appear to be slightly biased towards aviation. Maybe that's because I used it for a Human Factors in Aviation course for my graduate work.

The book has a LOT of information, so much that it can be difficult to read at times, but I'd rather have too much than not enough.

The biggest complaint I have on the book is the authors diagrams. It is presented with a lot of diagrams and drawings to explain the point. Having a STRONG background in aviation, including 21 years in Naval Aviation, 11 of that as a FLight Engineer, and having taken HF in Aviation in my undergraduate stuidies, I can say that there were many times when I understood the material, but didn't understand the drawing or diagram. They're just too confusing sometimes.

All-in-all, I thought the book was very good. The examples used at the beginning of the chapters were helpful in establishing a baseline with which to establish the lesson material.

Used this book for an introductory course to human factors engineering. I'll say it was written in a way that made it easy to understand, with lists and clear examples. I do wish that there were more diagrams for conveying some of the ideas. Including the lens model diagram inside this book along with a brief section on it would have worked wonders, though. Otherwise, it was a good book.

Just finished a HF course and this was the required text for the course. This text is awful. Very poor writing, incorrect or misleading info is presented, in the area's of work physiology, etc. The author did not explore or offer ANY additional insight in area's such as bio-mechanics etc.. HUGE sections of the text are pure quotes from other sources.. Very poor.. All I can say is thank goodness I was able to sell the book.

I ordered this book for a Master's class I'm taking and been a bit of a let down. Shipping was a breeze, and the content of the book is good, but the book is painfully boring. The pages are all black and white, and I have to force myself to continue on to each new paragraph. In general, I'd rather sit down and repeatedly stick pencils in my eyes than sit down and learn from this book about Human Factors.

This was the single most atrocious example of a "text book" I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Very poor editing throughout, and often the outline structure was unnavigable. Adding to that problem, was poor grammar and sections that simply made no sense. "...incentive programs are effective over long periods of time as long as they are not dropped permanently at some point." My suggestion, if you have a class that requires this textbook, find a new class.