Human Factors in Engineering Design Exam
1 FINAL UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Helander's two maxims - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. The primary purpose of HFE is design
2. In HFE, a systematic, interdisciplinary approach is necessary for design and analysis
What is the point of HFE? - CORRECT ANSWER - Helander: designing a system or
product to be safe, efficient, and comfortable to use while considering contraints of human
abilities
Internatinoal Ergonomic Association: Application of theory, principles, data, and methods to
design in order to optimize human well being and overall system
performance
HFE Timeline - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. early tools were the first examples of creating
to enhance human capabilities
Post WWII: Focus on the reduction of human error to reduce
military fatalities; controls and displays were
reconsidered
As a result, Human Factors research focused on:
1. Situational awareness/information displays
2. Control-display compatibility
independent variables in a system - CORRECT ANSWER - noise, thermal conditions,
illumination levels, vibration
,Dependent variables in a system - CORRECT ANSWER - assembly time, error rates,
worker satisfaction, worker output
What are some modulating variables (user specific)? - CORRECT ANSWER - operator
needs, attitudes, competence, expertise, strength, motivation, age, gender, body size, stress
3 goals of system design - CORRECT ANSWER - safety, productivity, operator
satisfaction
What must Erogonomists consider when thinking about safety? - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Task allocation: Between workers and machines
2. Workstation design: Strategies should be aimed at
improving worker posture and comfort
3. The ambient environment: Illumination, noise, vibration,
thermal conditions
4. Organization factors: The allocation of responsibility,
policies for internal communication
5. Machine design: Controls & displays
What must Erogonomists consider when thinking about productivity? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 1. Maximizing operator skill set
2. Display and control design
Trade-offs:
• As speed increases, errors also increase
• As speed increases, accuracy decreases
• Speed Accuracy Trade-off (SATO)
What are the 3 types of HFE studies? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Descriptive - used to
characterize a population of users (examples:
, anthropometric data, discomfort surveys)
2. Experimental - test the effect of a design feature on human
performance (examples: average brake pressure and GSR for traffic
events) three types of dependent variables;
1. Performance - (Task performance, error rates)
2. Physiological - (Heart rate, EMG, GSR)
3. Subjective - (Questionnaires or rating scales)
3. Evaluation - test the effect of a system on
Dependent variables must be... - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Reliable - the consistency of a
measure over time (i.e.
SAT scores)
2. Valid - the extent to which the instrument measures
what was intended to be measured
• Measures can be reliable but not valid (i.e. body
temperature and task performance)
3. Sensitive - the extent to which a measure can detect
changes in the values of independent variables
3 methods of evaluating validity of dependent varibles - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Face
Validity - The extent to which a measure 'looks
valid'. (i.e. an expert might say, 'Looks good to me')
2. Content Validity - The extent to which a measure actually
represents all facets of a given construct; much more
rigorous to evaluate (i.e. Air traffic controller exam)
3. Construct Validity - The degree to which a scale
measures or correlates with the theorized psychological
scientific construct that it purports to measure (i.e. Are
hormone levels linked to task performance)
1 FINAL UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Helander's two maxims - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. The primary purpose of HFE is design
2. In HFE, a systematic, interdisciplinary approach is necessary for design and analysis
What is the point of HFE? - CORRECT ANSWER - Helander: designing a system or
product to be safe, efficient, and comfortable to use while considering contraints of human
abilities
Internatinoal Ergonomic Association: Application of theory, principles, data, and methods to
design in order to optimize human well being and overall system
performance
HFE Timeline - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. early tools were the first examples of creating
to enhance human capabilities
Post WWII: Focus on the reduction of human error to reduce
military fatalities; controls and displays were
reconsidered
As a result, Human Factors research focused on:
1. Situational awareness/information displays
2. Control-display compatibility
independent variables in a system - CORRECT ANSWER - noise, thermal conditions,
illumination levels, vibration
,Dependent variables in a system - CORRECT ANSWER - assembly time, error rates,
worker satisfaction, worker output
What are some modulating variables (user specific)? - CORRECT ANSWER - operator
needs, attitudes, competence, expertise, strength, motivation, age, gender, body size, stress
3 goals of system design - CORRECT ANSWER - safety, productivity, operator
satisfaction
What must Erogonomists consider when thinking about safety? - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Task allocation: Between workers and machines
2. Workstation design: Strategies should be aimed at
improving worker posture and comfort
3. The ambient environment: Illumination, noise, vibration,
thermal conditions
4. Organization factors: The allocation of responsibility,
policies for internal communication
5. Machine design: Controls & displays
What must Erogonomists consider when thinking about productivity? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 1. Maximizing operator skill set
2. Display and control design
Trade-offs:
• As speed increases, errors also increase
• As speed increases, accuracy decreases
• Speed Accuracy Trade-off (SATO)
What are the 3 types of HFE studies? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Descriptive - used to
characterize a population of users (examples:
, anthropometric data, discomfort surveys)
2. Experimental - test the effect of a design feature on human
performance (examples: average brake pressure and GSR for traffic
events) three types of dependent variables;
1. Performance - (Task performance, error rates)
2. Physiological - (Heart rate, EMG, GSR)
3. Subjective - (Questionnaires or rating scales)
3. Evaluation - test the effect of a system on
Dependent variables must be... - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Reliable - the consistency of a
measure over time (i.e.
SAT scores)
2. Valid - the extent to which the instrument measures
what was intended to be measured
• Measures can be reliable but not valid (i.e. body
temperature and task performance)
3. Sensitive - the extent to which a measure can detect
changes in the values of independent variables
3 methods of evaluating validity of dependent varibles - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Face
Validity - The extent to which a measure 'looks
valid'. (i.e. an expert might say, 'Looks good to me')
2. Content Validity - The extent to which a measure actually
represents all facets of a given construct; much more
rigorous to evaluate (i.e. Air traffic controller exam)
3. Construct Validity - The degree to which a scale
measures or correlates with the theorized psychological
scientific construct that it purports to measure (i.e. Are
hormone levels linked to task performance)
