Founder, Human Factors, Human-Centered Designer, & Product Manager

• Jan 2016 - Present

Providing human-centered design services to non-profits, start-ups, and innovation teams in large companies who are on a mission to improve health in U.S. or international communities. Spark Health Design can: (1) use human-centered design and human factors techniques to understand your complex set of healthcare stakeholders who must choose, use, and pay the dues for your solution to be successful, and (2) function as a product manager working between teams of scientists, engineers, regulatory experts, quality managers, and commercialization and marketing teams to guide your technology into a world class, scalable, financially sustainable product or service that achieves your intended social impact. Why does human centered design matter? By integrating it into the design process, you can improve user satisfaction and acceptance, increase the safety and usability of your products and lower your risks and liabilities. Integrating HCD throughout the development process ultimately streamlines development timelines and saves money by identifying and resolving human factors issues early in the process. According to Battelle, Every dollar invested in user experience drives $2 to $100 in returns. HCD can: Cut product development cycles by 30-50 percent Decrease support needs by 25 percent Reduce use errors, liabilities and product recalls Spark's founder is a full member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and has experience in designing and executing IRB-approved human factors formative and summative evaluations per IEC 62366 and FDA Guidance. In addition, she holds NIDA Good Clinical Practice and NIH Protecting Human Research Participants Certificates. Spark Health Design also has experience facilitating over 75 HCD workshops for audiences ranging from budding social enterprises to the largest bank in the world. Example include ICB China, NRG Energy, KickStart, Cornell, MIT, and Women in the Enterprise of Science and Technology (WEST). Show less

Adjunct Faculty

• Jul 2016 - Present

Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship capstone program, faculty advisor to the global health team. http://www.olin.edu/academics/experience/engineering-capstone/ Current student team is working on early detection of hearing loss to improve life outcomes with Solar Ear. Check out the former student team's insights from visiting Vietnam to design a newborn warming device with Design that Matters and MTTS: http://adetravelblog.blogspot.com/search/label/ADE%20Global%20Health Guest lecturing with Olin's Biomedical Device Design and User-Oriented Collaborative Design courses. Show less

Product Development Manager (via Spark Health Design)

• Jan 2023 - Present

Managing the product development effort for a machine learning device for cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries. https://www.ghlabs.org/innovations/womens-health Spark Health Design previously provided human-centered design and usability engineering services to design the Global Health Labs in-situ oxygen filling and storage system with their commercialization partner. Managing the product development effort for a machine learning device for cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries. https://www.ghlabs.org/innovations/womens-health Spark Health Design previously provided human-centered design and usability engineering services to design the Global Health Labs in-situ oxygen filling and storage system with their commercialization partner.

Human-Centered Design (via Spark Health Design)

• Jan 2018 - Present

Using human-centered design to enable design of more effective, affordable and appropriate equipment to support safe surgery in under-resourced operating theaters. Check out the target product profile we helped create for the upcoming Lifebox surgical headlight: https://www.lifebox.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lifebox-Light-Target-Product-Profile.pdf This target product profile is uniquely designed to go beyond the requirements to also explain why by illustrating the three lighting gaps and the logistics of typical surgeries performed in low-resource settings. Currently kicking off a project to enable affordable, durable, appropriate capnography device to improve surgical safety through measuring CO2 to promote safe and effective intubation. Lifebox is an NGO devoted to safer surgery and anaesthesia in low-resource countries. Show less

Director of Product Design

• Jan 2019 - Dec 2021

Led product design and development efforts for the MIMIX Flu vaccine microneedle array patch applicator. MIMIX promises to be the first shelf-stable vaccine that has the potential to be self-applied. The resulting early stage applicator was used in a successful phase 1 clinical trial. Led product design and development efforts for the SpeciMatrix product to enable shelf-stable blood collection for diagnostics through the power of silk. This product enables shipping a whole blood or plasma sample to a centralized lab and is designed to be compatible with high throughput laboratory processing. Show less

User-Centered Design and Human Factors (via Spark Health Design)

• Jan 2017 - Jan 2018

Human factors formative evaluations for acute care and home care nitric oxide gas delivery devices following IEC 62366 and FDA Guidance. Selection and management of commercial IRB, creating IRB-approved protocols and leading human factors formative usability testing, review of Use FMEA and Task Analysis, working closely with design team to design user interface and form factor for both devices. Human factors formative evaluations for acute care and home care nitric oxide gas delivery devices following IEC 62366 and FDA Guidance. Selection and management of commercial IRB, creating IRB-approved protocols and leading human factors formative usability testing, review of Use FMEA and Task Analysis, working closely with design team to design user interface and form factor for both devices.

Product Design (via Spark Health Design)

• Jan 2016 - Jul 2017

Using human-centered design strategy to improve the user experience across the Jana Care platform including rapid diagnostic test kits, smartphone-integrated hardware, and Habits lifestyle management app. This was a consulting position. Jana Care has launched in India; a mobile diagnostic platform that makes screening and monitoring of chronic disease radically affordable. Using human-centered design strategy to improve the user experience across the Jana Care platform including rapid diagnostic test kits, smartphone-integrated hardware, and Habits lifestyle management app. This was a consulting position. Jana Care has launched in India; a mobile diagnostic platform that makes screening and monitoring of chronic disease radically affordable.

Director of Product Design

• Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

Led the ethnographic and strategic aspects of DFA's bovine Estrus test kit to increase smallholder dairy farmer income in East Africa. In addition, recruited and led a team to create an interactive prototype and video of a disposable molecular diagnostic concept for early infant diagnosis of HIV. About Diagnostics For All Diagnostics For All (DFA) is a non-profit enterprise who aims to saving lives through the creation of low-cost, easy-to-use, point-of-care diagnostic devices designed specifically for the developing world. Show less

Director of Product Development

• Jan 2010 - Dec 2014

Director responsible for identifying, launching, and leading scalable medical technology projects that address the most critical challenges afflicting the poor in low- and middle-income countries. A relationship management lead who develops new products and services in partnership with domestic, international, nonprofit and private sector social enterprises. A human-centered design practitioner who catalyzes an array of multidisciplinary resources including students, professional volunteers, and contractors, using design thinking and product design expertise to create world class design. About Design that Matters Design that Matters (DtM) is a non-profit that finds the best opportunities for design and technology to have a massive impact serving the poor in developing countries. We design products to deliver a better quality of life to millions of people. In 2012, DtM joined the exclusive list of companies who have won the National Design Award including Apple, Patagonia, Nike, and nine others. DtM’s most recent product launch, Firefly Newborn Phototherapy, won top product design accolades including the IDSA IDEA, Spark!, and Edison awards. Firefly is currently saving babies from jaundice in over 20 developing countries across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Show less

Project Lead

• Jul 2005 - Dec 2009

Medical device and innovation with breadth of experience from design strategy to design for manufacturing. Clients included Eli Lilly, BriteSmile, Becton Dickinson, Pfizer, and Abbott Nutrition. Successful program lead managing nine projects over two years totaling $2 million revenue. Example product launches include the Target Itso modular storage system, Robitussin's new look, and the Eli Lilly Kwikpen and Savvio insulin injectors. I was ultimately pushed out of the company while analyzing company wide pay equity. Read my story here: https://medium.com/surviving-ideoAbout IDEOIDEO is an award-winning global design firm that takes a human-centered, design-based approach to helping organizations in the public and private sectors innovate and grow. IDEO identifies new ways to serve and support people by uncovering latent needs, behaviors, and desires. The resulting insights become the seed to design products, services, spaces, and interactive experiences that bring new companies and brands to life. In the process, IDEO helps organizations build creative culture and the internal systems required to sustain innovation and launch new ventures. IDEO is ranked #10 on Fast Company’s list of the Top 25 Most Innovative Companies, alongside many of its clients. Show less

Design Engineer

• Jul 2001 - Jun 2005