Human Factors for a Better World: Case Studies in Community Ergonomics

Abstract

This panel brings together global experts to explore the evolving practice of community ergonomics—an approach that applies Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) to co-design systems with and for marginalized communities. Building on the lessons articulated in Barton et al. (2025), panelists will present diverse case studies that highlight both the promise and complexity of community-engaged HFE work. Panelists will reflect on the epistemological shifts, methodological adaptations, and relational commitments required to move toward genuine collaboration and social impact. Attendees will leave with tangible strategies for engaging communities as co-designers, as well as deeper insight into how our assumptions as HFE professionals shape the outcomes of our work. This session is a call to action for expanding the scope, values, and practice of ergonomics for a more equitable world.

Keywords

macroergonomics community ergonomics co-design participatory design

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Barton

H. J.

Harris

M. T.

Rogers

C. C.

Lange-Morales

Thatcher

Newman

L. C.

Wooldridge

A. R.

Rogers

W. A.

Montague

Werner

N. E.

Valdez

R. S.

(2025). Leveraging ergonomics and human factors (E/HF) for community impact: What have we learned about how to make a difference. Ergonomics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2025.2450726

Davy

Todd

Metson

G. S.

Thatcher

(2023). Designing a greywater treatment system in a highly adaptive urban environment: An ergonomics and human factors observational analysis. Urban Water Journal, 20(5), 624–637. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062x.2023.2207099

Smith

J. H.

Cohen

W. J.

Conway

F. T.

Carayon

Derjani-Bayeh

Smith

M. J.

(2002). Community ergonomics. Macroergonomics: Theory, methods, and applications (pp. 289–309). Lawrence Erlbaum.

Smith

J. H.

Smith

M. J.

(1994). Community ergonomics: An emerging theory and engineering practice. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 38, 729–733.

Smith

M. J.

Carayon

Smith

Cohen

Upton

(1994). Community ergonomics: A theoretical model for rebuilding the inner city. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 38, 724–728.

Thatcher

Metson

G. S.

Sepeng

(2024). Applying the sustainable system-of-systems framework: Wastewater(s) in a rapidly urbanising South African settlement. Ergonomics, 67(4), 450–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2022.2068647