What does a human factors engineer do?

Updated January 8, 2025

8 min read

A human factors engineer is responsible for designing system technologies that would help people perform their duties efficiently and accurately. These engineers conduct an in-depth investigation of the human's needs and conceptualize in applying these theories to create technology solutions that adhere to the business requirements and budget limitations. They also perform data and statistical analysis through interviews and surveys to determine the best interface and feasibility. A human factors engineer runs diagnostic tests to ensure the stability and usability of the product with safe optimization and quality.

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Human factors engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real human factors engineer resumes:

Manage and conduct fusion analysis of HUMINT, SIGINT, IMINT and OSINT.
Provision, manage and deploy dedicated Linux hosting solutions for various small businesses.
Accomplish QA of inspector worksheets during shipboard inspection, and generate certification report for government approval.
Procure EEG, ergonomic testing equipment, receive approvals from elementary schools, school districts, and parents.
Develop and maintain spreadsheets and SharePoint sites.
Develop HCI operational concepts and requirements for the control and monitoring of space shuttle payloads.
Provide HFE design support to the design and development of a large-scale industrial sterilizer control room.
Train new employees on internal processes, applicable DoD regulations, and conducting international site visits.
Compile custom android kernel and apps, and flash it on nexus devices to verify traffic shaping algorithm.
Conduct regulatory compliance testing and participate in gaining regulatory approvals such as ISO, UL, IEC and ESA.
Identify and research human factors engineering (HFE) software problems for CSSCS to maximize the efficiency of the human-computer interface.
Deliver usability testing plans and reports, UI specifications, usability testing highlight videos, heuristic reviews, and UI storyboards.
Archive schedules setup for UNIX and windows clients for long term retention and perform data retrieve operations base on user requests.
Research includes visualization techniques to support digital forensics.
Create Java GUI project-management module and project build configuration wizard.

Human factors engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 6% of Human Factors Engineers are proficient in User Research, Human Centered Design, and User Experience. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Writing skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Human Factors Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

User Research, 6%
Developed process for user-centered design service delivery, and established importance of user research activities.
Human Centered Design, 6%
Implemented skills in human factors engineering, usability/human centered design, ergonomics, cognitive psychology, industrial engineering and safety engineering.
User Experience, 6%
Identified areas requiring research by collaborating with cross-functional teams and utilizing data from website tracking software and previous user experience testing.
FDA, 5%
Conducted regulatory compliance testing and assisted in seeking regulatory approvals from FDA.
Medical Devices, 5%
Appointed expert to International Electro-Technical Commission to author IEC 62366-1: Application of usability engineering to medical devices.
Data Collection, 4%
Trained graphics designers, development engineers and field personnel on user- centered data collection methodologies and techniques.

Most human factors engineers use their skills in "user research," "human centered design," and "user experience" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential human factors engineer responsibilities here:

Speaking skills. One of the key soft skills for a human factors engineer to have is speaking skills. You can see how this relates to what human factors engineers do because "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." Additionally, a human factors engineer resume shows how human factors engineers use speaking skills: "presented with a pride@boeing award for outstanding work on a nasa project. "

Writing skills. Many human factors engineer duties rely on writing skills. "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference," so a human factors engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways human factors engineer responsibilities rely on writing skills: "involved in data collection, lab set-up, data management, report writing etc. "

Creativity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of human factors engineers is creativity. This skill is critical to many everyday human factors engineer duties, as "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "handled inventory management, price negotiations, new product development, pilot production and product costing. "

Listening skills. For certain human factors engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "listening skills." The day-to-day duties of a human factors engineer rely on this skill, as "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what human factors engineers do: "communicated usability issues/implications to product development teams. "

Math skills. Another common skill required for human factors engineer responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of human factors engineers all the time, as "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." An excerpt from a real human factors engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a human factors engineer does: "established a formalized department-wide process for collecting, validating, and statistically analyzing quantitative results from usability studies. "

Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to human factors engineer responsibilities. Much of what a human factors engineer does relies on this skill, seeing as "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of human factors engineers: "provide and present mobile user experience recommendations, wireframe and sitemap solutions based on user analysis research. "

See the full list of human factors engineer skills

The three companies that hire the most human factors engineers are:

Northrop Grumman14 human factors engineers jobs
MITRE12 human factors engineers jobs
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.11 human factors engineers jobs

Choose from 10+ customizable human factors engineer resume templates

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Compare different human factors engineers

Human factors engineer vs. Usability specialist

Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.

If we compare the average human factors engineer annual salary with that of a usability specialist, we find that usability specialists typically earn a $10,174 lower salary than human factors engineers make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both human factors engineer and usability specialist positions are skilled in user experience, product development, and ui.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between human factors engineers and usability specialist. For instance, human factors engineer responsibilities require skills such as "user research," "human centered design," "fda," and "medical devices." Whereas a usability specialist is skilled in "user interface," "competitive analysis," "product management," and "card sorts." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Usability specialists tend to make the most money working in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $121,714. In contrast, human factors engineers make the biggest average salary, $98,760, in the technology industry.The education levels that usability specialists earn slightly differ from human factors engineers. In particular, usability specialists are 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a human factors engineer. Additionally, they're 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about human factors engineers vs engineers.

Human factors engineer vs. President ergonomic consulting

A human factors scientist conducts analysis and research on human behavior. Depending on which industry they are in, they analyze human behavior relevant settings and apply that data. They also review technical data and scientific literature. They may serve as a technical consultant on some scientific boards or committees in the behavioral science field. They develop new methods and techniques to solve existential problems.

On average, president ergonomic consultings earn a $42,899 higher salary than human factors engineers a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Human factors engineers and president ergonomic consultings both require similar skills like "fda," "data collection," and "product development" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real human factors engineer resumes. While human factors engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "user research," "human centered design," "user experience," and "medical devices," president ergonomic consultings use skills like "english language," "financial services," "business development," and "organizational development."

President ergonomic consultings earn similar levels of education than human factors engineers in general. They're 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about human factors engineers vs human factors scientists.

Human factors engineer vs. Engineer

On average scale, engineers bring in lower salaries than human factors engineers. In fact, they earn a $4,350 lower salary per year.human factors engineers and engineers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "iso," "ui," and "industrial design," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from human factors engineer resumes include skills like "user research," "human centered design," "user experience," and "fda," whereas an engineer is more likely to list skills in "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #. "

Engineers earn the best pay in the automotive industry, where they command an average salary of $97,672. Human factors engineers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $98,760.Most engineers achieve a lower degree level compared to human factors engineers. For example, they're 8.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Human factors engineer vs. Human factors scientist

Human factors scientists typically earn lower pay than human factors engineers. On average, human factors scientists earn a $8,707 lower salary per year.According to resumes from human factors engineers and human factors scientists, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "user experience," "fda," and "medical devices. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A human factors engineer uses "user research," "human centered design," "product development," and "systems engineering." Human factors scientists are more likely to have duties that require skills in "human subjects," "consumer products," "irb," and "subject matter experts. "In general, human factors scientists hold similar degree levels compared to human factors engineers. Human factors scientists are 0.7% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of human factors engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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