Presentation
HFE In-Practice: Bridging Cross-functional Collaboration for Greater Success
SessionPoster Session 2
DescriptionIn fast-paced product development environments, misalignment in communication across disciplines is inconvenient and expensive. Miscommunication among members of a product development team can hinder both new and sustaining product initiatives, delaying time to market for life-saving solutions. Breakdown in communication leads to expensive redesigns, suboptimal solutions, and increased regulatory submission risk due to incomplete or unclear documentation. From a societal point of view, instances of miscommunication represent a significant barrier to societal progress, as they hinder timely access to innovative treatments and solutions for the broader population.
Within this context, Human Factors Engineers (HFEs) are well positioned to play a pivotal role in advancing better, novel solutions in the healthcare sector. By enhancing human factors’ approach and communication strategies, the field of usability engineering can accelerate the development of impactful design solutions and contribute meaningfully to the creation of safe and future-ready systems.
This presentation aims to explore the right communication approach for HFEs to engage with different disciplines within the product development team when communicating key information to our counterparts. By reimagining HFE’s roles as communication catalysts - and equipping them with practical tools and strategies - we amplify the influence of their insights in medical device design, expediting time to market and access to life-saving innovations on a broader scale.
This presentation explores how HFEs can tailor their approach, enhance their acumen, and bolster their communication to increase the impact of their contributions during both development and sustaining phases of medical device projects. Firstly, we will encourage HFEs to carefully consider the project’s lifecycle stage and to “use different hats” so they can provide the appropriate level and type of advice. Secondly, communication considerations, tools and techniques will be discussed to adjust the style, level of detail, and insights’ relevance to resonate with various stakeholders. As an example, we will present the use of user archetype persona cards, characterizing different roles of the product development team - HFE, Engineering, QA/RA, Clinical Engineering/Medical Affairs, Marketing and Business, and Industrial Design - as a practical tool that may be leveraged to encourage both divergent and convergent thinking for tailoring messages and offering actionable recommendations for common pitfalls in communication. By intentionally considering the intent and the form, human factors engineers can increase cross-disciplinary alignment and bolster their impact at different phases of the product lifecycle.
Integrating phase- and discipline-specific communication strategies enables human factors engineers and their teams to foster more effective collaboration, reduce misunderstandings, and accelerate the development of safe and effective products.
Within this context, Human Factors Engineers (HFEs) are well positioned to play a pivotal role in advancing better, novel solutions in the healthcare sector. By enhancing human factors’ approach and communication strategies, the field of usability engineering can accelerate the development of impactful design solutions and contribute meaningfully to the creation of safe and future-ready systems.
This presentation aims to explore the right communication approach for HFEs to engage with different disciplines within the product development team when communicating key information to our counterparts. By reimagining HFE’s roles as communication catalysts - and equipping them with practical tools and strategies - we amplify the influence of their insights in medical device design, expediting time to market and access to life-saving innovations on a broader scale.
This presentation explores how HFEs can tailor their approach, enhance their acumen, and bolster their communication to increase the impact of their contributions during both development and sustaining phases of medical device projects. Firstly, we will encourage HFEs to carefully consider the project’s lifecycle stage and to “use different hats” so they can provide the appropriate level and type of advice. Secondly, communication considerations, tools and techniques will be discussed to adjust the style, level of detail, and insights’ relevance to resonate with various stakeholders. As an example, we will present the use of user archetype persona cards, characterizing different roles of the product development team - HFE, Engineering, QA/RA, Clinical Engineering/Medical Affairs, Marketing and Business, and Industrial Design - as a practical tool that may be leveraged to encourage both divergent and convergent thinking for tailoring messages and offering actionable recommendations for common pitfalls in communication. By intentionally considering the intent and the form, human factors engineers can increase cross-disciplinary alignment and bolster their impact at different phases of the product lifecycle.
Integrating phase- and discipline-specific communication strategies enables human factors engineers and their teams to foster more effective collaboration, reduce misunderstandings, and accelerate the development of safe and effective products.
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeTuesday, March 244:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
LocationRhinelander Gallery
Medical and Drug Delivery Devices