The primary goal of SYS 3023 is to introduce students to the fundamental methods of analysis for designing, evaluating, and using human-centered technological systems: the discipline of human factors.  The primary outcome is to provide students the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to promote productive interaction between people and the systems they use. For example, decision support systems can be designed to leverage the strengths of both humans and machines for control of semi-automated processes.  The course is practitioner oriented. You will be able to apply your KSAs to redesign current systems that simply do not quite meet the needs of their users, or to design new systems that are user-friendly. You will learn how to design to resolve system inefficiency and user frustration that leave many observers and users to question:  “Why did they design it this way? They clearly don’t understand actual user needs.”

Course topics include analysis of human-systems interaction, interface design, usability testing, experimental design, and human-centered lifecycle design. Course lectures and assignments will also introduce students to studies of human sensory, cognitive, and physical abilities which are the means by which we perceive our environment and thus must be considered during system analysis, design, and evaluation. 

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