Class Links:
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Class Description:
In this class, you will learn the fundamentals of Human Factors, and put them to use in your own Human-Centered Design. Each team will choose a common tool or device to re-imagine for a specific population, and spend four days working on a new design. Document your creation with a simple webpage, and be judged in the final class with the winning team receiving publicity; write ups at both MIT and in the popular press.
We have all seen beautiful, well-engineered products that were a pain to actually use. Successful design and engineering is far more likely when the human is considered as a part of the process. Join our class in building understanding of Human Performance, Physiology, and Psychology, a body of knowledge called Human Factors. Human factors professionals are in demand from Silicon Valley, to the Department of Defense, to the developing world.
From day one, you and your team will actively discuss and collaborate on your redesign. Each day, learn about the fundamentals of Human Factors, with guest speakers explaining how human-centered design is used in industry and government. Access to workshop space and time will be available at the International Design Center (IDC).
Your instructor, Dr. Ben D Sawyer, has had his work in Human Factors covered in Forbes, Reuters, Fast Company, and The BBC. He is the winner of The Human Factors Prize for 2017, led the first driving evaluation of Google Glass, and formerly worked with the US Air Force’s BATMAN group, evaluating and designing new technologies for airmen. For more information, visit bendsawyer.com.
So, are you up to the challenge of designing for the human? Do you want to take your engineering to the next level? Would you like to work with the group of like-minded students to create a project that could be featured locally and nationally?
Questions? Email today: humanfactors@mit.edu