An engineering psychologist is a professional who applies psychology knowledge to the development of various products and devices. The overall goal is to make things easier and more intuitive for people to use on a daily basis. People who work in this field usually have some background in both engineering and psychology, as well as specialized courses to help them integrate the two. They work in a variety of fields, but are particularly common in the computer software, medical, and aviation industries.
Engineers have long sought to create user-friendly tools, but some have been more successful than others. The engineering psychologist’s job is to collaborate with engineers in order to better understand how users will interact with a device. They may be directly involved in developing product testing procedures and interviewing people after they have tested the products in some cases. They will frequently use the data gathered during these testing procedures to make recommendations for various ways to improve products.
An engineering psychologist’s job prospects are particularly plentiful in the field of computer software. This is because creating user interfaces that are simple to understand and use is usually a top priority. An engineering psychologist can assist software designers in anticipating how users will interact with their products in order to improve the user experience.
The engineering psychologist is especially useful in the fields of medicine and aviation because technology changes so rapidly and mistakes can be so costly. A person’s life could be jeopardized if a doctor has trouble operating new equipment, and this is especially true in the case of a pilot. Engineering psychologists could be useful in the testing process to create devices that are less prone to user error in these fields, making them safer for everyone.
An engineering psychologist could theoretically work in almost any engineering field where products are created for people to interact with directly. Many of them also go into research positions, where they can experiment and contribute to the field of engineering psychology as a whole. Certain universities frequently offer these positions, which, according to experts, do not pay as well as industrial jobs.