2012 Human Factors Prize Theme: Science Behind Product Design
Submissions may be submitted between June 1 and July 1, 2012. The winning submission, along with other acceptable submissions, will be published in the last 2012 issue of the journal.
The topic for the 2012 Human Factors Prize has been chosen: the human factors/ergonomics science behind product design. This will be the second year for the prize to be awarded; it was established in 2010 by the journal's editor-in-chief, William S. Marras, and presented for the first time last year.
It is the flagship journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The prize recognizes excellence in human factors/ergonomics research through an annual competition in which authors are invited to submit papers on a specific topic chosen by the editor-in-chief in consultation with a Board of Referees chaired by Immediate Past Human Factors Editor Nancy J. Cooke. The prize carries a $10,000 cash award, publication of the winning paper in the journal, and formal presentation during the HFES Annual Meeting.
Submissions can be turned in at any time between June 1 and July 1, 2012. HFES provided this description of acceptable submissions: "We seek articles that describe HF/E research that strengthens our understanding of the human-product interface, usability, and safety. We are not seeking examples that apply HF/E to product design, which may be more suitable for a venue such as Ergonomics in Design. Rather, we invite contributions to the science of human factors/ergonomics that can generally facilitate the design of products ranging from cell phones to glucometers. Suitable sample topics include mental models and product design, designing for the broad population, applying HF/E to envisioned worlds, physical interface and usability, and the role of cognitive models in product design."
Submissions must cover original (unpublished) research in the topical area and comply with the requirements in the Human Factors Instructions for Authors; review articles or brief reports are not eligible for the prize.
A board of six referees chaired by Cooke will review each submission. The winning submission, along with other acceptable submissions, will be published in the last 2012 issue of Human Factors.