November 21, 2017
By Tracy MacNeal, EVP Corporate Development
Ximedica sits at the leading edge of many boundaries of new technology, and often our technical teams are frustrated. Deeply and fervently, our team wants to see creativity and human-centric design behind all new technologies and to have patients’ lives genuinely improved by new innovation. Forces of commercialization often make this humanity-based pursuit difficult. In a hurry to get to an early prototype, startup CEO’s skip crucial steps of essential user-focused design. Desperate for the next home run (or even single, double, or triple) investment, venture capitalists seek out proof of concept and data, but often forget to ask whether human factors have been considered. Does the product please the clinician? Does the patient feel comfortable using the product?
Regulatory challenges add pressure. As CEO’s think about how to get new technologies through regulatory hurdles, they forget the essence of a successful launch: that patients and clinicians like using the product. As part of our ongoing dedication to creating and nurturing good design in the medical device and diagnostics industry, Ximedica is pleased to support Senior Industrial Designer Matt Gill as a juror at the Spark awards in San Francisco in November: http://www.sparkawards.com/
Why is Spark important?
For over 15 years the Spark awards have been a boast-worthy acknowledgement of quality work across the many facets of Industrial Design. For automotive, toy, healthcare products and more a Spark award signifies a degree of appreciation & respect from peers within the design community. Spark signifies the quality of a design’s aspirations as well as the quality of its execution.
Gill comments, “My interest as a juror is twofold. First, I want to share a perspective that emphasizes balanced design, where function, construction, and the user experience are all considered and tuned for the best outcome. Second, I like to experience the values and perspectives of others, both from the entrants as well as from fellow jurors. In this context, the broader conversation on defining good design and what makes it good is possible.”
Ximedica is honored to be involved in this year’s Spark awards, as we believe design is a cornerstone of the product development community. As leaders in the design field, we have the responsibility to elevate products and experiences to provide real world value to customers and clients. We are excited to have Gill participate as a juror, as he represents the thoughtful expertise design can offer any collaboration and engagement.
Ximedica is a full-service ISO 13485-certified and FDA-registered medical device and diagnostics product development firm. For 30 years Ximedica has provided a unique growth platform enabling organizations to successfully deploy medical technology products into the market. Its headquarters are in Providence, R.I., with offices in Hong Kong, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Los Gatos. In November of 2014, SV LifeSciences, a Boston-based private equity firm, acquired a majority stake in Ximedica, enabling the company to execute its growth strategy.
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