Human Factors
Human Factors, also referred to as ergonomics, human engineering or usability research, is the scientific discipline that applies theory, principles, data and method to design in order to optimise how humans behave physically and psychologically in relation to particular environments, products, or services.
Human factors are a consideration for design across a wide range of industries and ultimately ensure that the end user can use and interact with the product effectively. This becomes more important in sectors such as healthcare/medical devices due to the ramifications on the patient if this is not the case, or if the patient fails to accept the device altogether. The concept of human factors engineering within medical devices has become more recognised in recent years and is now included in international manufacturing standards and the collected data, plus how human factors have been applied to the design process, now forms part of the FDA regulatory approval within the US. In the last 12 months over 500 thousand companies were declined approval due to failure to display adequate human factors considerations/and or correct application of the human factors data collected during the research phase.
The demand for human factors engineers is growing as organisations become increasingly aware of the benefits of the application of human factors in terms of issues such as safety, comfort and productivity.
Skills required for a career in Human Factors
- Relevant science or engineering degree
- Knowledge/experience of human factors engineering
- Ability to understand technical medical device language
- IT skills
- The ability to work as part of a team as well being able to work on own initiative
- Detail oriented
- Communication & organisational skills
Salary Levels
The salary within Human Factors will typically range from around £27,000 for a graduate entry level
North West England
North West England is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. Major towns and cities in the North West include Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Carlisle, Macclesfield, Knutsford, Blackpool and Warrington.
Cumbria in the north of the region is largely rural whereas the south of the region is much more densely populated. The North West is known as the “Northern Powerhouse” thanks to its strong history in manufacturing. In days gone by the region was particularly famous for its textile industry, but the manufacturing today is based more on food and drink, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and transport. Digital technology, including games and software development, is also a major sector in the region, particularly in Liverpool and Manchester which have both seen huge growth in tech start-ups.
Famous people born in the North West: Wayne Rooney, footballer and Paul McCartney, musician.
North West England is a great place to further your career in life sciences. If you are a looking for pharmaceutical jobs in North West England, scientific careers in North West England or want to discuss cell therapy, gene therapy, ATMP, medical device, technology, biotech or pharmaceutical job opportunities in North West England, give our Next Phase team a call. The North West area is continuing to expand as a centre for jobs in science, process development, technology, software development, project management, informatics, quality, reg affairs and supply chain.
At Next Phase we help people find new jobs in life sciences across the UK, Europe and USA. This page lists some of the job opportunities in the North West, and if you give us a call we can also talk to you about other scientific jobs, pharmaceutical career opportunities and the latest updates in cell and gene therapy and ATMP development in the given area.
