Human Factors Engineers & Ergonomists
Consulting Ergonomist, Ergonomist, Human Factors Engineer, Occupational Ergonomist
What they do:
Design objects, facilities, and environments to optimize human well-being and overall system performance, applying theory, principles, and data regarding the relationship between humans and respective technology. Investigate and analyze characteristics of human behavior and performance as it relates to the use of technology.
On the job, you would:
- Design or evaluate human work systems, using human factors engineering and ergonomic principles to optimize usability, cost, quality, safety, or performance.
- Develop or implement human performance research, investigation, or analysis protocols.
- Recommend workplace changes to improve health and safety, using knowledge of potentially harmful factors, such as heavy loads or repetitive motions.
Knowledge
Engineering and Technology
- product and service development
- design
Math and Science
- psychology
- arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Arts and Humanities
- English language
Education and Training
- teaching and course design
Skills
Basic Skills
- reading work related information
- talking to others
Problem Solving
- noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
- thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
- measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it
Abilities
Verbal
- communicate by speaking
- communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
- make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
- use rules to solve problems
Math
- choose the right type of math to solve a problem
- add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Visual Understanding
- see hidden patterns
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Dependability
- Analytical Thinking
- Integrity
- Attention to Detail
- Cooperation
- Adaptability/Flexibility
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Analytical or scientific software
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- The MathWorks MATLAB
Presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Web platform development software
- AJAX
- JavaScript Object Notation JSON
Education
Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree or
doctoral degree
usually needed
doctoral degree
usually needed
Job Outlook
Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about human factors engineers and ergonomists.