01Scientific Research
Grounding design in behavioural science, cognitive psychology, and empirical evidence — not opinion.
About HFI
Experience Is Our Act.
People Are Our Purpose
For over 35 years, HFI has been at the intersection of human behaviour, design science, and technology — helping the world's most respected organizations create experiences that endure.
Vision
A world where every experience is designed for the humans it serves.
Mission
To build the world's most capable experience practitioners.
Values
Rigor, Breadth, Courage, Impact, Continuity.
Years of Practice
35+
Practitioners Trained
100K+
Countries
20+
Enterprises Served
5000+
Our Ethos
Born from Science.
Built for People
HFI was founded on one conviction: that great experiences don't happen by accident — they are the result of rigorous science, multidisciplinary thinking, and deep empathy for the humans at the centre of every system.
We are researchers, educators, strategists, and practitioners. We work at the edge of cognitive science and AI, translating knowledge into capability — for individuals and for the institutions that rely on them.
What We Do
The Full Spectrum of Experience Capability
HFI operates across the full arc of what experience requires — from individual skill-building to organizational transformation, from research to AI strategy. Each capability reinforces the others.
01Scientific Research
Grounding design in behavioural science, cognitive psychology, and empirical evidence — not opinion.
02UX Certification
The world's most rigorous credentials for experience practitioners — from CUA to CXA.
03Enterprise Capability
Embedding human-centered design as an organizational discipline at scale.
04AI & Experience Strategy
Helping leaders navigate the strategic and ethical dimensions of AI-mediated experiences.
05Experience Architecture
Training architects who orchestrate people, systems, and strategy into unified visions.
06Global Partnerships
Building ecosystems with governments, institutions, and industry bodies across 70+ countries.
Our Evolution
Forty Years of Forward Motion
For over 35 years, HFI has been at the intersection of human behaviour, design science, and technology — helping the world's most respected organizations create experiences that endure.
1981
The Beginning
Science Meets Practice
Dr. Eric Schaffer founds HFI with a singular belief — that human factors and cognitive science must be the foundation of interface design. The discipline is young; the conviction, absolute.
1990s
The Certification Era
The Gold Standard Is Set
CUA™ becomes the global benchmark for usability certification. Fortune 500 enterprises adopt HFI methods as internal doctrine.
2010s
The Enterprise Era
Design as Organizational Capability
HFI scales beyond individuals — embedding experience practice into banks, telcos, governments, and public agencies across 20+ countries.
2020s
The AI Era
Human-Centered in the Age of Machines
AI reshapes the landscape. HFI leads the transition — reframing human-centered design for the era of intelligent systems, and helping organizations navigate the ethical, strategic, and experiential dimensions of AI.
Today
The Architecture Era
Experience Architects for the World
HFI trains Experience Architects who can orchestrate people, systems, and strategy — building an ecosystem that reaches individuals, enterprises, governments, and institutions across 70+ countries.
Our Differentiation
What Makes Us Different
In a field crowded with certification mills and design bootcamps, HFI stands apart by refusing to compromise on rigor, depth, or scientific credibility.
Evidence First
We don't guess. We prove.
Every method, framework, and recommendation at HFI is grounded in peer-reviewed science and empirical evidence. We reject opinion-driven design — and we hold our own work to the same standard.
40+
Years of Applied Research
Multi-Perspective
Seven lenses. One vision.
HFI's Ensemble model brings together scientific, research, design, critic, behavioral, strategic, and champion perspectives. No other institution trains practitioners to think from all seven at once.
7
Disciplines in Every Practitioner
Practitioner-Led
Learning shaped by doing.
Our programs are built and taught by practitioners who have worked at the frontier — not theorists alone. Every module is designed around real problems, real decisions, and real organizational contexts.
100%
Applied Curriculum
Executive Suite
Leadership
Founder · CEO
Dr. Eric Schaffer
Founded HFI in 1988 with a conviction that human factors science must sit at the core of interface design.
Co-Founder · Chief Scientist
Dr. Apala Lahiri
Leads HFI's research and scientific direction — pioneering methods that translate behavioural science into practice.
President, Training
Kannan Narayanswamy
Leads enterprise transformation by aligning strategy, systems, and service design across complex ecosystems.
Founder · CEO
Dr. Eric Schaffer
Founded HFI in 1988 with a conviction that human factors science must sit at the core of interface design.
Co-Founder · Chief Scientist
Dr. Apala Lahiri
Leads HFI's research and scientific direction — pioneering methods that translate behavioural science into practice.
President, Training
Kannan Narayanswamy
Leads enterprise transformation by aligning strategy, systems, and service design across complex ecosystems.
Align With Us
The Ensemble Grows by Invitation
HFI's community spans the passionate individual, the transforming enterprise, and the institutions shaping the future. There is a place for each of you.
Thought Leaders
Shape the discourse.
HFI's research, publications, and advisory network connect the leading minds in human-centered design, behavioral science, and AI ethics. Join the conversation that shapes practice.
Practitioners
Deepen your craft.
Whether you're starting your journey or seeking to lead at the highest level, HFI's curriculum and community give you the scientific grounding and multi-perspective thinking that sets you apart.
Partners & Institutions
Build together.
Governments, industry bodies, and enterprise partners collaborate with HFI to shape national standards, build ecosystem capability, and ensure human-centered design reaches every corner of the world.
Thought Leaders
Shape the discourse.
HFI's research, publications, and advisory network connect the leading minds in human-centered design, behavioral science, and AI ethics. Join the conversation that shapes practice.
Practitioners
Deepen your craft.
Whether you're starting your journey or seeking to lead at the highest level, HFI's curriculum and community give you the scientific grounding and multi-perspective thinking that sets you apart.
Partners & Institutions
Build together.
Governments, industry bodies, and enterprise partners collaborate with HFI to shape national standards, build ecosystem capability, and ensure human-centered design reaches every corner of the world.
The Next Act
The World Needs More
Experience Architects.
Every organization, every government, every product in the world will be shaped by people who understand human experience at a fundamental level. HFI exists to ensure that the right people have the right knowledge at the right moment.
This is not just education. This is the future of how humans and technology coexist.