Who was Paul Fitts and how does this legendary psychologist’s work  impact our design professions to this day? Dr. Rebecca Grier joins Tim Keirnan for a wordcast episode about Fitts’ Law and Fitts’ List.

In a beautiful bit of synchronicity, Wired magazine published this excellent article about Fitts and Chapanis solving a design problem on the B-17 Flying Fortress during WWII.:

Dr. Grier recommends the following links for our understanding of Fitts’ work:

Fitts’ Law: Tracking users’ clicks by Mads Soegaard

The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. by Paul Fitts

Psychology Entry Wiki entry for Paul Fitts

Why the Fitts list has persisted throughout the history of function allocation by deWinter and Dodou

Reflections on the 1951 Fitts List: Do Humans Believe Now that Machines Surpass them? by deWinter and Hancock

Here is an obituary for Paul Fitts.

You can find Dr. Grier at her LinkedIn profile.

And here is the website for the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES) that Paul Fitts helped to establish. Check ’em out!

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