Paul Fitts
Psychologist and pioneer of aviation human factors, first author of the 1947 analysis of 460 pilot-error experiences with aircraft controls.
Who they are
With R. E. Jones at the Aero Medical Laboratory at Wright Field, Fitts sorted control errors into types: using the wrong control, moving one to the wrong position, forgetting, reversing, accidental activation and being unable to reach. The lasting lesson was that many such errors came from cockpit design rather than from pilots.
Key papers
Fitts, P. M., & Jones, R. E. (1947). Analysis of factors contributing to 460 "pilot-error" experiences in operating aircraft controls. Memorandum report TSEAA-694-12, Aero Medical Laboratory, Wright Field.
Key ideas
A mistake many people make in the same place is information about the design. See Dark Patterns for the modern version.
Sources
- Citation and error categories as summarised in US Department of Transportation report DOT/FRA/ORD-07/10 (2007); the original report was not read.