As technology changes the way we work, play, travel and think, applied psychologists who understand technology are more sought after than ever, says Anne McLaughlin, PhD, a professor of human factors and applied cognition in the department of psychology at North Carolina State University and past president of APA's Div. 21 (Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology).
The beauty of applied psychology is that it draws on fundamental research skills that will be relevant no matter how technology evolves. "Any work we do with new technology takes the human angle. We're doing research into human cognition," McLaughlin says. "Getting a handle on human capabilities and limitations will help us now and will help us develop technology that doesn't exist yet."
In other words, applied psychology is hot, and it's only getting hotter.
Smarter smart devices
We now have smart devices that help us stay connected wherever we go, and smart vehicles that guide us safely to smart homes that turn on our heat and lights before we get there. But smart systems aren't so clever if they're too complicated to use. And that's where human factors psychologists can help, by drawing on their research skills and knowledge of human cognition and behavior to design products and systems that are easier and more enjoyable to use.
These psychologists have found, for example, that most people don't get around to programming their smart devices and systems, says Robert Proctor, PhD, a professor of psychology at Purdue University specializing in human factors and human-computer interaction, and president of Div. 21. "If there's too much effort in figuring out the interface, you don't get the benefits," he says. That's an opportunity for applied psychologists, who can help design such devices in ways that make them easier and more inviting.
Human factors psychologists are bridging the gap between human and machine in many areas, including human-robot interactions, brain-machine interfaces and virtual reality systems, Proctor adds. Much of his own research focuses on cybersecurity—another area in which opportunities abound for psychologists, he says.
"Computer scientists describe humans as the weakest link in security," he notes. As experts in human behavior and judgment, psychologists can help cybersecurity companies predict how people behave online—and how to design safeguards that complement human behavior to protect our personal data.
Technology companies are hungry for insights on human behavior. While computer scientists can gather reams of data about how people use gaming systems, they aren't necessarily trained in how to interpret those data, says applied cognitive psychologist Tim Nichols, PhD, who has worked at Microsoft for 11 years, on the Xbox and HoloLens systems. "That's what behavioral research and psychology is all about, and that goal of deriving meaning makes industry today such a welcoming place for people who understand how to ask and answer questions in a rigorous way," he says. As part of research and development teams, psychologists can answer such questions as: How do people use speech recognition systems? What makes someone want to engage with a device? Does a new screen-display technology cause headaches? "We want to understand how people are perceiving and responding to these things, and to make sure the systems are engaging and comfortable to use," Nichols says.
While advances in technology are creating new opportunities for psychologists, advances in psychological science are also informing technology. In the last decade, the new field of "neuro-ergonomics" has emerged, McLaughlin says. Neuro-ergonomics applies tools and knowledge from neuroscience to design safer, smarter, more efficient human-centered systems. Such systems might measure how a worker's brain becomes fatigued during different types of work, for instance, and adapt the amount of automation depending on the worker's attention levels and cognitive state. "We can use these physiological measures to build, adapt or choose the way someone interacts with technology," she says.
Transportation and health care
Human factors experts are also finding a wealth of opportunity in the transportation industry, says Carryl Baldwin, PhD, director of the human factors and applied cognition program at George Mason University. Already there are vehicles that incorporate partial-automation systems, such as cars that parallel park themselves or slow down if you get too close to the car in front of you. And the race is on to push automation further. Ford is aiming to release a fully autonomous car by 2021, while electric car pioneer Tesla intends to launch driverless cars this year. "There's a large role for psychologists to work in those areas, now and for the foreseeable future," Baldwin says.
Her own research focuses on the design side, developing driver-vehicle interfaces that are intuitive and reduce the risk of accidents. "People aren't good at paying attention to things long-term when they're not actively engaged," she says. "We need to figure out smart ways to keep people in the loop."
Psychologists will also increasingly play an important role in educating and training the public to use those systems, she says. "There's a great need for psychologists to help the public develop an appropriate mental model of how automated systems work, and to appropriately calibrate their trust in the systems so they're not afraid or overly confident."
Changes in the health-care sector are also driving the demand for applied psychologists. In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a guidanceopens in new window that manufacturers integrate human factors into the testing process when developing new medical devices. Whether the user is a physician trying out a new robotic surgical tool or a patient operating an at-home glucose monitor, such pre-market testing can make an important difference for patient safety.
Human factors psychologist Arathi Sethumadhavan, PhD, has found almost limitless opportunities in the health-care field since finishing her graduate degree in 2009. Though her background was in aviation, she found her human factors skills transferred easily to the medical sector—and those skills have been in demand.
Sethumadhavan worked for several years at the medical device manufacturer Medtronic, optimizing the design of cardiac devices. Now she's working as a consultant, advising companies around the globe on projects including dialysis machines, insulin patches and smartphone apps for health management.
Because the FDA and other regulatory agencies take user-centered design so seriously, she says, device manufacturers are keen to embrace the skills that psychologists bring to the team. As a consultant, it can be challenging to jump from project to project, and manufacturers' timelines often mean she has to plan studies that can be completed much more quickly than they might in an academic setting.
"You have to be agile," she says. But it's worth the effort. "By optimizing human-machine interaction, I can make things better for physicians, nurses and patients."
In other attempts to improve patient safety, psychologists are applying their research skills to systematically study hospital and health-care errors. Much like psychologists of previous generations who studied aviation errors to make plane travel safer, today's human factors researchers are using their expertise to look for gaps in communication that can lead to medical errors and devise systems that minimize such mistakes. "It's one of the dominant areas of human factors right now," Proctor says.
Despite the proliferation of industries that are tapping the skills and knowledge of psychologists, there's even more the field could be doing to solve the practical problems of modern life—not only in technology fields, but in research related to sustainability and globalization as well.
"Too often, companies don't bring in a human factors specialist until something has gone catastrophically wrong," Baldwin says. "Most people still think ‘psychology' is clinical therapy, and they don't understand the many roles psychologists can play. We need to do a better job of educating the public about what we can do."
