What are “human factors” in design?

Human factors refer to how users interact with systems, machines, platforms, or even tasks. As a discipline, it has strong military ties and is often associated with the aviation industry.

The complexity of cockpit controls, for example, increases the cognitive load on pilots, leading to accidents due to human error (that’s why it’s called ‘human’ factors). Product creators, similarly, look for ways to reduce cognitive load on users.