HFES Releases New Book Examining How to Conduct Task Analyses

Washington, D.C. — The latest book from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), Task Analysis: How to Develop an Understanding of Work, is now available for purchase. It is the fourth installment of the Users’ Guide to Human Factors and Ergonomics Methods series. Authored by Jack Stuster, this book outlines five popular task analysis methods and addresses the necessity of studying complex operations.

This book is not only a guide to task analyses — it is also a personal account of a career in human factors research and design. It provides step-by-step instructions for conducting task analyses, and it uses detailed examples to emphasize these methods. It is useful to those who must understand work in order to develop personnel selection criteria, training objectives, or recommendations for the design of equipment and procedures. The book takes an in-depth look at the critical abilities and tasks (CAT) method, focusing on several factors that can contribute to and degrade human performance: environmental, situational, procedural, equipment, and operational.

Task Analysis shares anecdotes that human factors specialists may find entertaining. Likewise, the book provides instruction to students and professionals who are new to the field. 

Tasks Analysis is available in paperback or eBook on Amazon or the HFES website for $45.95. 

About the Author

Jack Stuster, president and principal scientist of Anacapa Sciences, Inc., a human factors and applied behavior sciences research firm in Santa Barbara, California, is a Certified Professional Ergonomist specializing in the measurement and enhancement of human performance in extreme environments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in experimental psychology and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Stuster’s research is used to design training, equipment, and procedures to facilitate task performance under conditions that are characterized by unusual environmental and psychological stress. He developed design and procedural recommendations to facilitate sustained human performance on the International Space Station (ISS) and future spacecraft, and at planetary facilities. Stuster recently directed research to identify the skills and abilities necessary among the crew of the first human expeditions to Mars. 

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The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) is the world’s largest scientific association for human factors/ergonomics professionals, with more than 4,500 members globally. HFES members include psychologists and other scientists, designers, and engineers, all of whom have a common interest in designing systems and equipment to be safe and effective for the people who operate and maintain them. “Human Factors and Ergonomics: People-Friendly Design through Science and Engineering.”

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