ABSTRACT
Human Factors has come to acquire a somewhat wider meaning, encompassing some aspects of human performance and system interfaces which would generally not be considered in the mainstream of ergonomics. The First World War provided considerable stimulus to Human Factors activity as it became necessary to optimise factory production, much of which was being done by women totally new to this working environment. The Second World War again provided a stimulus to Human Factors progress as it became apparent that more sophisticated equipment was outstripping man's capability to operate it with maximum effectiveness. The Liveware is the hub of the SHEL model of Human Factors. The remaining components must be adapted and matched to this central component. The original SHEL concept, named after the initial letters of its components, Software, Hardware, Environment, Liveware, was first developed using a different model from the one used here. There are within the aeronautical system other interfaces outside the field of Human Factors.
