Naturalistic Decision Making #56: Operationalizing Human Factors in Aviation with Adam Lary
Feb 26, 2026
Adam Lary, a human factors engineer and former U.S. Army infantry officer who leads avionics interface design at Garmin. He talks about translating military experience into human-centered avionics, balancing simulator fidelity with cognitive realism, framing real operational problems for usable designs, and navigating regulatory certification and cross-functional collaboration.
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Redesigning An Ops Center In Iraq
- Adam Lary rediscovered human factors while redesigning an Iraqi base operations center where displays and communications caused shouting and errors.
- He rearranged operator stations, displays, and procedures based on engineering psychology principles learned at West Point.
Human Factors Owns Design Through Validation
- Garmin's HF team owns both design mockups and validation for integrated flight decks, from Figma prototypes to simulator evaluations.
- They focus on avionics for business jets and integrate pilot input, OEM requirements, and flight-test feedback into iterations.
Use OEMs And Pilot Experience To Find Pain Points
- Use multiple feedback channels: OEMs, flight-test pilots, and in-house pilots to find real pain points.
- Leverage team members with pilot experience to decode jargon and build rapport during studies.