Meet Alvin - Human Factors Engineer

What is Human Factors, and what does your role involve?

Human Factors is all about making sure that the human is considered in every step of the development life cycle of our products. 

When we think about what the future cockpit might look like, we need to include technologies looking at Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy and also psychophysiological monitoring; a process which helps us to understand a pilot’s cognitive state to determine if they are overloaded, under loaded, fatigued etc. to ensure that if they do need assistance, the autonomy can step in. This is essential for pilots to ensure they remain engaged and can operate an aircraft safely and effectively.

I work as part of a team that’s looking at everything from haptic vests, eye tracking, hand tracking and brain monitoring. A lot of the technology we’re working with is actually from the gaming industry. We’re then adapting it and applying it in ways to work for defence.

What makes Human Factors an exciting area to work in?

Human Factors is exciting as you are constantly striving to make things intuitive and easy to use. You need to know why people do what they do, how people make decisions, and how they react to the things around them. There is always something different to do, it’s always interesting and challenging, and makes you think outside of the box. Turning a complex system into something that’s easy to use is very satisfying.

I work with cutting-edge research into new and novel technologies and have the opportunity to interact with the end users including pilots, maintainers, trainers or support specialists, and much more.

What was your career path to your current role?

I studied for a degree in Control Engineering and thought I would have ended up working on an oil rig or a refinery somewhere. However, my aspirations changed direction during my degree when I had an industrial year at British Aerospace, as it was then, at Brough in East Yorkshire.

I worked in the advanced cockpit. It was a really interesting year out and although I always had an interest in aircraft, this is what really sparked my interest in Human Factors.

Ultimately, I came through an engineering route rather than a psychology or ergonomics route and gained my knowledge and experience on the job with some amazing mentors and colleagues.

What new skills have you developed in your role as a Human Factors Engineer?

My role involves lots of problem solving and using my own initiative to collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary team. I need to be able to think creatively and have the courage to challenge and drive improvement.

Verbal and written communication skills are important in my role too, as I’m constantly engaging with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, to understand their needs and feedback my proposals and solutions.

Are there any skills from your personal life that you find useful in your role?

My general interest in how things are put together is useful to have – anything from repairing gadgets, to fixing the car, and general DIY have given me experience of how things work.

We are designing the systems and Human interface to be very intuitive and familiar with the users. If you can use a smart phone or  you’re a keen gamer, then you might be familiar with some elements of display and data selections and the technology we’re working on for Tempest. There has been a lot of inspiration from the gaming industry, including some of the graphics and even the virtual reality headsets with eye tracking that future Tempest pilots might wear. 

What would you say to someone considering a career with BAE Systems in Human Factors?

At BAE Systems, there are great opportunities for Human Factors practitioners to work on complex, innovative and world leading programmes such as Typhoon and Tempest. 

You will be working alongside other functions and nations to deliver products that will be in service for 40+ years. The variety of tasks, people you work with and the challenge of designing simple and intuitive solutions to complex problems, will keep you motivated and interested.

How do you think you will feel when Tempest flies for the first time?

I can’t wait to see Tempest fly. It’ll be the first aircraft that I’ve worked on from scratch and is so different from everything else we have designed and built. To say that It’ll be exciting and jaw dropping would be an understatement.