Engineering Quote by Nancy G. Leveson
““Virtually all systems contain humans, but engineers are often not taught much about human factors and draw convenient boundaries around the technical components, focusing their attention inside these artificial boundaries.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Engineering a Safer World, Nancy G. Leveson, 2011
Engineers often ignore human factors, treating systems as purely technical and isolating themselves from user impact.
In simple terms: Engineers focus on tech, not people.
Key Takeaway
Integrate human considerations into design.
Themes
human factors
systems engineering
design
risk management
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
advisory
When to use this quote
- product development
- software engineering
- infrastructure planning
- safety audits
Key Concepts
sociotechnical systems
boundary framing
cognitive bias
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we better incorporate user behavior into technical designs?
- What barriers prevent engineers from studying human factors?
A Different Perspective
Human behavior is unpredictable and may not fit neat technical models.
![“Leave a cavity behind the [wall] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick or lava in courses, and then bind them to the fronts by means of iron clamps and lead. The beds and builds, all settling equally and bonded at the joints, will not let…” quote by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d76/marcus-vitruvius-pollio-7498_bed_leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-a_5922.jpg)
