About the Job

You will work within project teams to systematically study the interaction between users, the tools they employ, the tasks they perform, and the environments within which they work and play. The insights gained through your user research, using a variety of analytical techniques, will help us develop products that better match the capabilities, limitations, needs, and expectations of the people who use them. Rather than merely critiquing or analyzing the designs of others, you must play an active role in shaping a product vision and generating concepts that accommodate observed use behaviors, satisfy user needs, prevent use errors, and improve the quality of use experience.

Job Responsibilities

Contextual Research (15%)

• Conducting literature searches
• Conducting heuristic evaluations of products and interfaces
• Developing protocols for observational research and in-context interviews
• Coordinating the recruitment of research participants and scheduling of research sites
• Conducting observational research and in-context interviews
• Analyzing data from field research to understand observed behavior, user needs, and use errors
• Performing a workflow analysis and task analysis to identify pain points and understand the potential types and consequences of use errors

Conceptualization (10%)

• Collaborating in various brainstorming and exploration techniques, to create a variety of unique solutions to address observed and known user needs
• Exploring design alternatives through sketching or CAD modeling
• Applying human factors principles, design guidelines and data to establish design envelopes that accommodate target users and control arrangements that are intuitive and usable
• Championing the use of low-fidelity mock-ups and form study models to iteratively explore and evaluate concepts and interactions in a tangible 3D media

Usability Research (75%)

• Managing the recruiting and scheduling of research participants
• Managing and scheduling locations for usability studies (e.g., clinical simulation centers, market research facilities, in home, etc.)
• Developing protocols for Formative usability studies to provide representative users with opportunities to simulate the use of competing concepts, provide feedback that will aid in the down-selection of preferred features, and identify use errors that could be designed out
• Developing protocols for Summative usability studies for medical devices, demonstrating they are adequately safe and effective for the intended users, uses, and use environments
• Conducting usability studies, both in the field and in simulated or controlled settings
• Analyzing data from usability studies and communicating findings to clients in a manner that is logical, compelling, and easily understood by members of our clients’ management, engineering, regulatory, quality, marketing, and sales teams
• Documenting findings from Formative and Summative Usability Studies in support of 510k and PMA submissions to the FDA for medical devices

About You

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Human Factors, or a related field
• At least 3 years of real-world experience in Human Factors Engineering
• Previous experience designing and conducting user research

Preferred Experience

• You have a familiarity with product development from a Human Factors perspective and can confidently guide an internal and external team in the process, benefits, and deliverables thereof.
• You have familiarity with regulatory guidelines (e.g., IEC 62366, FDA Human Factors, HE 74, etc.) for the approval of medical devices.
• You have worked in a consulting environment for at least one year and are familiar with how they operate.
• You have a true passion for human-centered product design, as evidenced by your education and career choices.
• You have extensive experience conducting all varieties of user studies.
• You demonstrate high standards of workmanship and attention to detail and can help improve departmental processes and best practices.
• You can develop, support, and defend design recommendations based on your experience with design research, ergonomics, and human factors principles
• You can successfully lead clients through problem definition and the innovation process during workshop sessions.
• You have a deep understanding of user research methodologies, concepting processes, approaches, and tools, and take the initiative to improve them.
• You have established yourself in thought-leadership within the Human Factors community.
• You are comfortable with ambiguity and complexity, because sometimes that leads to the most unique, unexpected design solutions.
• You are motivated by change, and see the pandemic, social injustice, and our younger generations as meaningful opportunities to adapt how we design and collaborate, and what we deliver. Because equity, inclusion, and diversity are important to you, you have a point of view, personal or professional experience, or interest in helping make a difference. 

Be inspired. Be inspiring. Be yourself.

Delve embraces difference because creativity, curiosity, and diversity drive innovation. We nurture a supportive and inclusive environment. Be yourself and create a future that improves lives. We encourage applicants of color and those with diverse lived experiences to apply.

About Delve 

Delve is a multidisciplinary product innovation firm that brings bold ideas to market those guides clients through the complexities of innovation, delivering better, faster, and more sustainable success. For over 55 years, Delve has mobilized the best experts and technologies for its clients, completing over 10,000 client projects, producing over 1,500 patents, and winning over 200 design awards.

Delve serves ambitious start-ups to Fortune 500 clients in the healthcare, consumer, and commercial industries, delivering innovation through advanced expertise in research, strategy, design, and engineering. Delve has placed innovation studios in Boston, Madison, Philadelphia, and San Francisco to attract forward- thinking leaders to solve complex product challenges through human-centered design.