D'Anne Harp
Human Factors/Healthcare Research & Development
PORTFOLIO
TESTIMONIALS
"From the very first meeting I had with her as a candidate through to now D’Anne just impresses me. She is literally capable of running an entire experience program all by herself. She is impeccable on follow through. She is an excellent problem solver even when no one else can see the problem. I highly recommend her as a manager. I would hire her again and hope to work with her on other projects in the future."
Anthony Hall, Sr. Director Brand Experience
"D’Anne and I worked together on a high-profile, complex software project at St. Jude Medical. As an independent consultant, D’Anne rolled up her sleeves and jumped enthusiastically into both research and design. This is especially notable given the challenging clinical domain. D’Anne has a positive service attitude and offered ways to improve underlying processes, not just immediate deliverables. I trusted her as a partner and hope we cross paths again soon."
Diana Gavales, Sr. Human Factors Engineer
St. Jude Medical
PROJECTS
Pacemakers and ICDs transmit data to an external display during surgical implant and checkup procedures, communicating the electrical patterns of a patient's heart and the electrical impulses that the device delivers to the patient. This external display allows the clinician to troubleshoot--and essentially reprogram the stimulus delivered to the patient. Precision, accuracy, and speed are key.
This project was a high-profile redesign of that external display. This project addressed St. Jude Medical's touchscreen UI for doctors, nurses, and clinicians, covering routine and troubleshooting workflows. St. Jude knew it needed to improve, but they didn't want another pretty reskinning. The new UI needed to be easy to learn, easy to use, and as the Sr. Human Factors lead on the project, I needed data to indicate that the new design represented a significant improvement, so the company could commit to changing their flagship product with confidence.
Analyzed user pathways in routine and troubleshooting scenarios to quantify and prioritize areas of improvement.
Led ideation workshops with subject matter experts to identify new directions to address workflow issues.
Statistical analysis showed significant error reduction using the new design, as compared to the previous design, and the new design is on the market today. Shown here is the Euro home screen.
Analyzed user pathways in routine and troubleshooting scenarios to quantify and prioritize areas of improvement.
Services for Brain Injury
Following a stroke, head injury, or other neurological condition, such as Parkinson's, ALS, Bell's Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, or some cancers, a patient may have difficulty swallowing, a condition known as dysphagia. Over time, a patient with dysphagia will likely also suffer from malnutrition, dehydration, and pneumonia as complications.
There are no devices on the market at this time that are low cost and non-invasive to diagnose and therapeutically treat this condition. This exciting project was a start-up effort between Services for Brain Injury and Santa Clara University to address this challenge. The team is currently seeking a patent, therefore this presentation does not go into full detail.
Working with a speech therapist as our SME, we researched the condition of dysphagia and competitive products. Multiple models were considered for different points in the swallowing process.
As a team of electrical, mechanical, and human factors engineers, we assembled the components to test our ideas - and the integrity of the sensor. IEC and FDA compliance considerations started to come into play, as we considered our designs.
A potentiometer on the side allows the clinician to adjust the target pressure for the patient.
Working with a speech therapist as our SME, we researched the condition of dysphagia and competitive products. Multiple models were considered for different points in the swallowing process.
Abbott - FreeStyle Flash Glucometer
At the time it was released, the Freestyle Flash Glucometer was the world's smallest blood sugar meter, marketed to active adults and children, as it required the world's smallest sample, allowing for less painful "pokes" and the freedom for samples to be taken from locations other than the fingertips. Despite these advantages, Abbott was receiving customer complaints from the field.
This was a project working with the primary researcher hired by Abbott to test the usability of the device. Our team was given three main lines of inquiry:
1) Assess major business and user-critical functions for learnability and ease of transfer (switching to the Freestyle after using a different meter)
2) Assess the ease of use of calibration, per a number of field complaints
3) Provide insight into the features that people are using, and why
As a researcher, the first-time experience with a product is a great time to get into the mindset of a new user. Keeping in mind the stress of a newly diagnosed patient and the diminished vision and finger dexterity of a long-term patient, first experiences and impressions with this device were logged, giving us ideas for testing
To test new and transfer users, we used a 2 x 1 experimental design, testing the Freestyle Flash with both groups in introduction, first use, and stress scenarios. Here, the challenge of the diminutive device design becomes apparent, as the threadlike test strips are difficult to manipulate. (Photo used with permission)
Charting participant responses was revealing; only 1 in 6 users were able to correctly calibrate the glucometer for use - a user and business-critical task for accurate readings. Recommendations were made for redesign, including automatic calibration.
As a researcher, the first-time experience with a product is a great time to get into the mindset of a new user. Keeping in mind the stress of a newly diagnosed patient and the diminished vision and finger dexterity of a long-term patient, first experiences and impressions with this device were logged, giving us ideas for testing
Additional portfolio pictures and descriptions will be posted soon - if you'd like to see more project sample materials in the interim, please contact me, and let me know!