Gaining Influence

Influence in this context means having the ability to affect decisions and actions within a project or organisation.

Influence is particularly important for Human Factors Engineers because we often do not have direct authority to implement design changes ourselves. Our role is often advisory, which means we need to persuade and motivate others within the project to take action based on our conclusions or recommendations.

Without influence, the recommendations made by HF Engineers may be overlooked or dismissed during the decision-making process. This can result in products or systems that are less user-friendly, potentially less safe, and more likely to fail in meeting user needs and expectations.

If we are unable to demonstrate our value in past projects due to a lack of influence, it may become increasingly difficult to secure a significant role in future initiatives. This can lead to a cycle where we have fewer and fewer opportunities to prove the value of HF Engineering. In turn this perpetuates our limited influence within the organisation.

This is a spiral that we don’t want to be a part of!