The SHELL model has remained one of the most widely used conceptual tools in Human Factors since its introduction, shaping training, safety research, and system analysis across aviation, medicine, and defence. Its representation of human interaction within complex systems has been influential; however, the model’s architecture is predominantly external, focusing on the relationships between Software, Hardware, Environment, and Liveware components, while neglecting the intrapersonal dimension that regulates these interactions. Over the past two decades, interdisciplinary research in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience has highlighted the critical role of self-consciousness in performance regulation, resilience, and error prevention, indicating a limitation in the explanatory and predictive capacity of the traditional SHELL framework. In response, this paper employs a conceptual synthesis and cross-sectoral analytical methodology to examine the limitations of existing Human Factors models and proposes an extension, SSHELL, which integrates Self-consciousness as a new central element. SSHELL reframes the human operator as a self-regulating, conscious system that actively manages both internal states and external system interactions. By reintroducing the self into system thinking, the SSHELL framework advances Human Factors theory by offering a domain-neutral model applicable across aviation, healthcare, military, and educational systems, while highlighting the need for future empirical validation.

Task models are a commonly used tool in Human Factors/Ergonomics (HFE), whether when redesigning an existing system or designing an entirely new system. In recent years, the pressure for HFE professionals to gain a foothold in defining companies’ innovation strategies has led to the emergence of a new and distinct form of ergonomic intervention, prospective ergonomics, which attempts to anticipate the future usefulness of innovative technologies to guide design efforts towards relevant projects. There is currently a strong need for tools to support this new form of intervention, and also for theoretical work to clarify its connections and distinctive features with respect to corrective and design ergonomics. In this paper, we describe how this shift in focus has led to a shift in what we might—or should—expect from task models. Even though these models remain hypothetical, they may serve as a basis for stakeholders at the fuzzy front-end of innovation to clarify potential design concepts in terms of their expected value to users. We illustrate our findings with a case study in the French military sector.

Noise and cognitive performance (N&CP) have emerged as a dynamic research area over the past decade, reflecting growing concern over the impact of noise on human cognitive functioning. This article provides a comprehensive bibliometric review of scholarly research on N&CP to explore the current status of research on human cognitive capabilities and limitations in conjunction with noise. Using the ISI Web of Science database, we identified 1693 records (2012 – May 2024), screened 306 articles after initial filters, and included 180 publications for bibliometric analysis. Among these, 35 articles were selected for in-depth content analysis. HistCite and VOSviewer software were used for citation analysis and visualisation. Although the domain is multifaceted, results demonstrated that most research emphasised narrow thematic areas. There was an uneven distribution of international partnerships, with limited collaboration between high-income nations and low- to middle-income countries. Based on citation mapping, the study performed a detailed content analysis of the 35 most cited documents to identify key research streams, including industrial and environmental noise exposure, noise characteristics, open-plan office acoustic challenges, noise masking and cancel­lation strategies, and individual differences in susceptibility. Overall, the area of noise and cognition provides substantial opportunities to synthesise and identify various emerging applications.

Usability of home use medical devices is complex, multidimensional and multifactorial. The design of such devices must accommodate a range of users, including patients, caregivers, and hospital staff, as well as the potential impact of human-human interaction through the device. In this study, we analyse the impact of the hospital context on the usability of a medical device used for post-ambulatory monitoring. We enrolled 28 patients and 20 student physicians in an ambulatory surgery system simulation. After the simulation, we conducted both focus groups and interviews to gather both quantitative and qualitative data to measure the usability of the medical device. The results show that exchanges during the consultation with the anaesthetist have a definite impact on the device’s usability by modifying the user’s perceived risk. Even if the device is intuitive to use, its usability is dependent on the context of use and the projection of the users.

The sensory properties of the materials are the first items users of environments and products relate with, and so determining well-being and comfort. Recently, moreover, the rediscovery and appreciation of the emotional experience through objects and the possibility to use the materials in order to enrich and enhance this experience, puts the designer under the conditions to operate in a context in which the richness of the expressive and sensory qualities of matter demands to be controlled and managed to become an integral part of the design process. The technological evolution, in fact, allowed to act on the matter designing it to your liking also with respect to a new sensory and communicative dimension, through which the objects express their own personality. It therefore deals with the complex issue of the classification of expressive-sensory properties of the materials, in order to develop appropriate tools useful for the selection and comparison between apparently similar materials families. This to be able to consciously choose those materials most suitable to intercept the needs, tastes and emotions of users.

In nearly 60 years of research on exoskeleton design, manufacturing, testing, and application, few researchers study what goes into the process of designing these devices that augment human performance. Exoskeleton evaluation and selection, however, remains under-­researched and ultimately unclear given the large number of decision criteria with possible interdependencies. In this paper, an analytic network process (ANP) model was structured and used due to its ability to consider multi-levels of interdependencies between decision criteria while encapsulating the advantages of expert opinion. A panel of experts categorized 55 engineering design metrics into five categories. Discussion sessions were conducted to identify the metrics’ interdependencies yielding an unweighted, weighted, and limit priority super-matrix from the ANP model. The results of the ANP model provide an analysis of how interdependencies affect the importance of design metrics in exoskeleton design. The results of the proposed model were compared to a previous study where a panel of 40 experts individually ranked the importance of engineering design metrics without considering interdependencies. The use of the ANP can provide a stronger, more holistic approach to the inherently multi-criteria decision-making involved in exoskeleton design.

Introducing automated vehicles into road traffic and robots into urban public environments puts artificial agents in space-sharing conflicts with humans. Humans anticipate, avoid, and smoothly resolve space-sharing conflicts by implicit and explicit communication enabled by uniquely human shared intentionality. Smooth coordination among artificial, partly automated, teleoperated, and human agents needs to be supported by coactive design optimizing observability, predictability, and directability to foster robustness of operation. Available humans should be employed by ‘wizard interfaces’ to support automation, for example, in recognizing intentions, in anticipating difficulties, and in predicting for foresighted coordination. Human capabilities are not just helpful for efficiency and robustness but necessary to cope with exceptional events and failures. For quickly removing blocks and resuming operation, available humans should be employed and authorized by measures of ‘shepherd raising’. Because non-human agents are at a disadvantage in public environments and potentially block operation for extended intervals if they are bullied or denied help, benevolence and cooperation are essential in hybrid societies. Cooperation in public environments is higher in functional societies and can be fostered towards artificial agents in particular by coactive design increasing trust, by influencing mindless and mindful anthropomorphism, and further determinants of reciprocal altruism.

To reduce ergonomic risks for their workforce, many industries in Thailand seek assistance from professional ergonomists. However, most academic programs are delivered by instructors with limited human factor and ergonomics (HFE) background, who incorporate either physical or cognitive parts of HFE. To reliably assess and design systems according to HFE principles and standards, programs should be provided by creditable HFE professionals and based on holistic HFE knowledge. The objective of the present study was to initiate a transformation of the professional development in Thailand. The process included a consolidation of the details of HFE education through questionnaires, and identification of requirements from industries through a focus group interview. The results showed a prevalent lack of holistic considerations of HFE knowledge and a primary focus on physical ergonomics. Problems with lack of resources and basic knowledge in design were also reflected by concerns from the industry regarding limited experience, design competency and use of objective methodologies of HFE practitioners. This information was subsequently used to constitute the development of preliminary competencies and a pilot certification system. The proposed competencies and system were then disseminated and additional requirements that need to be incorporated into the professional HFE system were identified.

Software development depends heavily on human efforts and collaborations, which are simultaneously influenced by human emotions, and it is considered among the most difficult tasks. Software developers are susceptible to various health concerns such as burnout, anxiety and depression due to the work nature and demands of the software industry, and this may have detrimental effects on their performance. However, evidence portray significant beneficial effects of positive emotions on well-being, growth, and success. Accordingly, this paper investigates the relevance of positive emotions among software developers and strives to understand how positive emotions benefit developers’ performance. It surveys literature that examine the importance of affect among developers and the benefits of positive emotions on human well-being and employs a narrative style to present these aspects. This review discusses the potential mechanisms that underlie the association between frequent experiences of positive emotions and improved performance and suggests that positive emotions benefit developers’ performance. This emotional awareness has the potential to enhance the developer efficacy, thus contributing to the discipline of ergonomics. Findings also have positive implications for organisational counsellors as they help in developing and maintaining a positive organisational climate.

Interaction with and dependency on intelligent autonomous systems, may bring about feelings such as discomfort or fear. Users’ willingness to accept new technologies can be hampered by unwanted emotions like discomfort, making the study of the onset of discomfort essential for future technology design and implementation. Interest in discomfort has been growing but agreed-upon definitions or models are still wanted. Here, we present a theoretical model of discomfort predicated upon existing models and definitions. Our model emphasizes internal mental processes that guide the formation of discomfort. Specifically, we specify how environmental stimuli are linked to personal needs and expectations, and how that gap between internal and external factors contributes to discomfort. We conclude with a practical example of how our model can apply to the design of autonomous vehicles.