Digital Interfaces

Human Factors & Ergonomics

by Toon Huysmans

Humans and their interactions in sociotechnical systems are complicated. So, when designing for human use, understanding the relationship between people and technology and environments is crucial. Through a scientific and systems approach, this course explores human complexities from a physical, cognitive, perceptual, and organisational perspective and teaches how to apply this in the design process.

This elective course provides students with knowledge, tools and hands on experience to support them in designing for human use. Explore scientific theories, methods, data, and tools that can be used to study interactions. Use this knowledge towards the goal of optimising the interactions in a balance between performance, well-being, and satisfaction.

Contemplate the human perspective in design, considering what their needs, capabilities and limitations are. Explore how interactions occur from the micro to the macro level. Use a systems approach to map out these differences and their impact on individuals, teams, and organisations over time. And take a scientific approach to designing sociotechnical systems. Get hands on experience through workshops and projects in the fields of healthcare, mobility, sports, and consumer products/services/systems. Produce scientific reports and present design recommendations to stakeholders. Ultimately, gain deeper insight into the complexities of humans and the challenges of considering human factors in design.

“There is a lot of great research going on at our faculty in this field and we have developed great methods, tools, and data. It is exciting to introduce the students to cutting edge research and to get to see how they use these techniques in creative ways in their design process.”

Image by Micheal Austin.

Experience, Motivation and Behaviour

by Jos Kraal

Why do people do what they do? Understanding this is critical when it comes to creating impactful designs. It starts with comprehending how things work inside the mind and how external factors influence people. This course explores human behaviour, motivation and experience from a psychological perspective, helping designers to influence and support people towards certain behaviours.

Knowing what behaviour is and why people do or don’t do things is key for designers to be able to stimulate a desired behaviour. Through principles of psychology, this elective course examines motivation and behaviour and provides tools designers can use to influence users and address complex challenges in society. Study evolutionary psychology, positive psychology and phenomenology to better understand behaviour. Explore not only what happens inside the mind, but recognise that motivation and behaviour are connected to external factors. Analyse how influences come from the outside through our experiences, our environment, our social groups.

Learn theory, tools and strategies for design aimed at influencing users. Use these to experiment with how to pull the strings on other people’s behaviour and motivation. Apply this new knowledge to steer target group behaviour around challenges related to health, sustainability and mobility. Use this experience to ensure that designs fit with the existing theories and models in psychology so that design can have an actual impact.

“I hope that students not only understand or observe what people do, but also understand why people or users do things. I will be very happy if they are able to get a better understanding of actions on a deeper level in this course.”