About This Site

Human Standards is a practical, evidence-based guide to designing technology that fits human capabilities and limitations. This documentation serves both human readers seeking actionable guidance and AI agents needing structured, machine-readable specifications.

Purpose

The Problem

Technology is often built by people who understand their systems deeply but overlook the humans who use them. The result:

Interfaces that work for experts but confuse newcomers
Features that assume perfect attention, memory, and motor control
Designs that exclude people with disabilities
Error-prone systems that blame users for predictable mistakes

Human Factors research has generated decades of evidence about human capabilities and limitations. But this knowledge is scattered across academic papers, expensive consultancies, and tribal knowledge within organizations.

Our Solution

Human Standards makes this knowledge:

Property	Traditional HF/E	Human Standards
Accessible	Academic papers, expensive training	Free, searchable documentation
Actionable	Principles and theories	Specific implementation guidance
Machine-readable	Prose descriptions	YAML validation rules, JSON tokens
Current	Published research (months/years lag)	Continuously updated
Integrated	Separate from development	MCP server for AI-assisted design

Who This Is For

Human Readers

Role	Primary Use
Designers	Apply research-backed patterns, avoid common pitfalls
Engineers	Implement accessible, ergonomic interfaces
Product Managers	Make informed decisions about UX trade-offs
QA/Testers	Validate against human factors criteria
Content Strategists	Write clear, accessible microcopy
Researchers	Find consolidated references and methods

AI Agents and LLMs

This documentation is structured for machine consumption:

Format	Purpose
Specification Tables	Precise values for code generation
YAML Validation Rules	Automated design checking
Pseudo-code Decision Logic	Programmatic guidance application
JSON Design Tokens	Direct integration with design systems
Structured References	Verifiable source linking

Example — Machine-readable validation rule:

rules:
  - id: touch-target-minimum
    severity: error
    check: "Interactive elements are at least 44×44px"
    wcag: "2.5.5 AA"
    platforms:
      ios: "44×44pt"
      android: "48×48dp"
      web: "44×44px"

How to Use This Site

For Quick Answers

Quick Reference — Key numbers, thresholds, and specifications at a glance:

Touch target sizes
Contrast ratios
Response time limits
Memory constraints

For Deep Understanding

Topic Guides — Comprehensive coverage of human factors domains:

Category	Topics
Perception	Vision, hearing, touch — how humans sense interfaces
Cognition	Attention, memory, cognitive load — mental processing
Decision-Making	Biases, errors, defensive design — behavior patterns
Ergonomics	Targets, spacing, posture — physical interaction
Accessibility	WCAG, assistive tech, inclusive design — universal access

For Implementation

Checklists & Playbooks — Ship with confidence:

Code & Design Tokens — Copy-paste implementation:

For AI Integration

MCP Server — Real-time human factors guidance in your development workflow:

# Install the Human Standards MCP server
npm install -g human-standards-mcp

# Configure in your AI assistant
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "human-standards": {
      "command": "human-standards-mcp",
      "args": ["serve"]
    }
  }
}

Available MCP Tools:

validate_design — Check designs against human factors criteria
get_specification — Retrieve specific values and thresholds
suggest_improvements — Get recommendations for design issues
check_accessibility — WCAG compliance validation

Content Structure

Page Anatomy

Each topic page follows a consistent structure:

Section	Purpose
Introduction	Why this topic matters
Core Concepts	Foundational knowledge
Specifications	Concrete values and thresholds
Design Implications	How to apply the concepts
Common Mistakes	Pitfalls to avoid
Validation Rules	YAML for automated checking
Decision Logic	Pseudo-code for programmatic use
Recent Research	2024-2025 findings
References	Categorized sources
See Also	Related pages

Information Density Levels

Level	Format	Use Case
Glanceable	Tables, bullet points	Quick lookup
Scannable	Headings, summaries	Finding relevant sections
Readable	Prose explanations	Deep understanding
Extractable	YAML, JSON, code	Machine processing

Scope

What’s Covered

Current focus — Digital interfaces:

Domain	Coverage
Web Applications	Full guidance, code patterns, validation
Mobile Apps	Touch targets, gestures, responsive design
Desktop Software	Keyboard shortcuts, window management
Digital Accessibility	WCAG 2.2 compliance, ARIA patterns
Cognitive Principles	For screens and digital interaction
Input Ergonomics	Keyboard, mouse, touch, stylus

What’s Coming

On the roadmap:

Domain	Planned Coverage
Voice Interfaces	Conversational design, speech recognition
VR/AR	Spatial computing, immersive UX
AI Systems	Human-AI interaction, explainability
IoT/Ambient	Smart environments, multimodal
Wearables	Body-worn devices, health tech

See Scope & Roadmap for expansion plans.

What’s Not Covered

Physical product design (furniture, tools, vehicles)
Architectural ergonomics (buildings, spaces)
Industrial safety systems
Medical device regulation (though accessibility applies)

Key Terms

Term	Definition
Human Factors (HF/E)	Scientific discipline focused on optimizing fit between humans, tasks, and systems
Ergonomics	Largely synonymous with Human Factors; emphasizes physical aspects
Accessibility (a11y)	Ensuring people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact
Usability	Effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in achieving goals
Inclusive Design	Designing for the full range of human diversity
Universal Design	Design usable by all people without adaptation
Dark Patterns	Deceptive design practices that trick users

Design Philosophy

Principles We Follow

Evidence over opinion — Cite research, not preferences
Specificity over generality — Concrete values, not vague guidance
Inclusion by default — Accessible design benefits everyone
Transparency — No dark patterns, no manipulation
Practicality — Implementable guidance, not theoretical ideals

Ethics Stance

We explicitly reject:

Pattern	Why
Confirmshaming	Manipulates through guilt
Hidden costs	Deceives about true price
Roach motels	Easy to enter, hard to exit
Misdirection	Exploits attention limitations
Forced continuity	Exploits inertia
Friend spam	Abuses trust relationships

Human Standards promotes building trust through honest, transparent design.

Technology Stack

This documentation is built with:

Component	Technology
Framework	Astro with Starlight
Styling	Custom CSS with design tokens
Hosting	Static site (deployable anywhere)
Search	Built-in Starlight search
Version Control	Git (GitHub)

Why Astro/Starlight:

Fast static generation
Markdown/MDX content
Built-in accessibility features
Easy contribution workflow
No JavaScript required for reading

Versioning and Updates

Content Updates

Major standards changes (WCAG versions, platform guidelines) are noted in affected pages
Research findings are added as they’re published
Community contributions are reviewed and merged regularly

Changelog

Notable updates are tracked in the repository:

New pages and major expansions
Standards version updates
Corrections and clarifications

Staying Current

Subscribe to updates:

Watch the GitHub repository
Check the Recent Research sections in topic pages
Follow referenced sources (W3C WAI, Nielsen Norman Group)

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community:

Contribution Type	How
Fix errors	Submit a PR with correction
Add research	Include citation and link
Suggest topics	Open an issue
Improve examples	Follow the example template
Translate	Contact maintainers

See How to Contribute for detailed guidelines.

Quality Standards

Contributions should:

Cite authoritative sources
Provide specific, measurable guidance where possible
Follow the existing page structure
Include machine-readable formats (tables, YAML) where appropriate
Avoid marketing language or product promotion

License

Documentation Content

This documentation is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0:

Attribution — Credit Human Standards
NonCommercial — Not for commercial use without permission
ShareAlike — Derivatives under same license

Code Examples

Code snippets and design tokens are licensed under MIT:

Free to use in any project
No attribution required in code
No warranty provided

Third-Party Content

Some examples and patterns are adapted from:

W3C WAI (W3C Document License)
GOV.UK Design System (Open Government Licence)
Platform guidelines (respective licenses)

See Third Party Licenses for details.

Contact and Support

Getting Help

Need	Action
Bug report	Open an issue
Feature request	Open an issue
Question	Start a discussion
Contribution	Submit a PR

Maintainers

Human Standards is maintained by contributors passionate about human-centered design. See the repository for current maintainers.

References

Foundational:

Accessibility:

Design Systems:

AI Integration: