Mikayla Tinus, a Human Factors Engineer at Goddard Technologies, began her career at Goddard as a mechanical design engineer specializing in medical device projects. She was interested in human-centered design, stemming from her passion for creating a more accessible world. When Goddard began building a Human Factors department, she began working on HFE projects. Last winter, Mikayla was promoted to a full-time Human Factors Engineer. She credits the advancement to her mentors within Goddard, who “facilitated [her] growth and exploration along the way.”
“I love working with a team that is always willing to learn and collaborate on solving complex problems that contribute to improved experience and patient outcomes.”
“Figuring out what kind of engineer I wanted to be was the biggest challenge I faced in my career,” shared Mikayla. “I worked in a few different roles and was unsure where I fit best. I was fortunate to work on a few different teams, gaining experience and insight along the way before landing in Human Factors. Being an HFE allows me to utilize my design skills and experience with quality and risk management. I drive value by always focusing on the end user.” An example of this, Mikayla elaborated, is her work with a client on an earlier-phase project. As human factors engineers, she and the team supported ideation and prototyping to ensure there were considerations for the users and use environments.”
“Learning more about the users and creating user profiles helped to understand the need and design considerations,” said Mikayla. “We also worked with the client and users to identify key pain points in their workflow, establishing a strong foundation for risk assessment down the line.”
Mikayla’s proudest moments at Goddard have been working with clients with limited Human Factors Engineering experience. “I had the opportunity to work on a clinical research project in which the client was new to the regulated product development process, including human factors. Our team collaborated and educated the client to prepare them for the development process while also demonstrating the importance of usability research. We provided new insights to their research through contextual inquiry and task analysis,” she explained, “It is especially gratifying.”
Why Human Factors Engineering & Goddard?
Goddard’s Human Factors Engineering team, including Mikayla, is highly experienced and ready to support your product development project. Why Go Goddard? “We have varying perspectives and experiences among the team that ensures we can develop innovative solutions while also fostering a community in which people are eager to learn and create,” said Mikayla about Goddard. “This is especially important within the medical device field where we might work on solutions for underserved populations and users whose lived experiences are vital inputs to the design process.”
How can we bring human-centered product development to your ideas? Find out more here: https://goddardpd.com/talk-to-our-experts/
