Evidence-Based Principles
Core laws and principles from cognitive psychology, accessibility research, and HCI studies — with citations and measured impact.
Getting Started with Human Standards
What is Human Factors?
Section titled “What is Human Factors?”Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) is the discipline focused on designing systems that fit human capabilities and limitations — physical, cognitive, and organizational.
This resource translates human factors research into practical guidance for designers, developers, and AI tools building digital products.
What You’ll Find Here
Section titled “What You’ll Find Here”Real-World Examples
Before/after case studies from leading companies showing measurable improvements from applying human factors principles.
Code & Implementation
React/TypeScript examples, CSS design tokens, and patterns you can use immediately in your projects.
AI Integration
MCP server that encodes these principles so AI code generation tools can apply them systematically.
Choose Your Path
Section titled “Choose Your Path”Understanding Humans
Section titled “Understanding Humans”Start with the fundamentals to understand how humans perceive, think, and make decisions:
Cognition
Attention, working memory, and cognitive load principles for interface design
Perception
Vision, color theory, contrast ratios, and how we sense digital interfaces
Emotions & Motivation
How emotional design and motivation affect user engagement and satisfaction
Decision-Making & Errors
Common decision biases and how to design for error prevention and recovery
Design Standards
Section titled “Design Standards”Apply evidence-based standards and patterns to your work:
Ergonomics
Physical ergonomics, touch targets, and device interaction standards
Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 guidelines, assistive technologies, and inclusive design patterns
Interaction Patterns
Forms, navigation, notifications — Nielsen’s heuristics and proven patterns
Implementation
Section titled “Implementation”Jump to practical code examples and tools:
Code & Design Tokens
CSS variables, React components, TypeScript types for accessible interfaces
Real-World Examples
Case studies from TurboTax, Gmail, Stripe, BBC, Grammarly with metrics and code
Checklists & Playbooks
Pre-launch checklists, cognitive walkthroughs, heuristic evaluation templates
I want to contribute
Section titled “I want to contribute”Help expand this resource for the community:
Scope & Roadmap
See what’s covered now and planned expansion into voice, VR/AR, robotics, and more.
Contributing Guide
Learn how to add examples, improve documentation, or contribute to new domains.
Document Examples
Framework for creating compelling before/after case studies with metrics.
Why Human Factors Matters
Section titled “Why Human Factors Matters”Good design isn’t just aesthetics — it’s about respecting how humans actually work:
- Reduce errors — 86% fewer writing mistakes with real-time validation (Grammarly)
- Improve completion — 30% faster tax filing with progressive disclosure (TurboTax)
- Increase accessibility — 98% keyboard task completion rate (BBC)
- Build trust — 38% lower anxiety with undo features (Gmail)
See the Real-World Examples section for detailed case studies with metrics.
Core Goals of Human Standards
Section titled “Core Goals of Human Standards”This project aims to:
- Make human factors accessible — Translate academic research into actionable guidance
- Prove impact with data — Every recommendation backed by evidence and metrics
- Enable AI code generation — Encode principles so AI tools apply them automatically
- Build in the open — Community-driven, open-source, continuously improving
References & Standards
Section titled “References & Standards”Human Standards builds upon established research and industry standards:
- ISO 9241-210 — Human-centred design process
- WCAG 2.2 — Web accessibility guidelines
- Nielsen’s Heuristics — Foundational usability principles
- HFES — Human Factors & Ergonomics Society
Full citations and academic references available in References.