He is known for his work at the Ohio State University, where he conducted research in conjunction with personnel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, generally recognized as the "birthplace of human factors engineering."
He developed a model of human movement, Fitts's law, based on rapid, aimed movement, which went on to become one of the most highly successful and well studied mathematical models of human motion.
During his time as a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force, Fitts had improved aviation safety by focusing on human factors in what were called "man-machine operations" in that era.
He thus became widely recognized as a pioneer in the emerging multi disciplinary science of human factors engineering.There are also indications Fitts worked in some capacity as a consultant concerning the interview of alleged UFO witnesses, and was planning work on how terrestrial or psychological explanations could account for UFO sightings.
Fitts was also elected a Fellow in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and served as president the organization in 1962-63 (when it was simply named the Human Factors Society).He received degrees in psychology at the following universities: