User Studies
When I first started at PAX, I began by doing a lot of background research into our devices, as well as other devices on the market, to figure out how they work and what people want. This led me to further investigate the user experience to determine what defined a good device and how a new product could facilitate that.
TEARDOWNS
A majority of my background research for user studies was done through tearing down our competitor devices. I became really adept at deconstructing a product to figure out how it worked and often would present my findings to the Hardware team or company at large. This practice also led me to discover several infringements upon our company IP, which allowed me to work with our legal department and learn about another aspect of consumer products and technology.
TESTING
I organized and conducted a series of user tests in order to directly analyze what consumers want from their device experience. This process involved determining influencing factors, creating prototypes for testing, writing formal test documents and user feedback forms, recruiting testers, working with Health & Toxicology to assess potential risks, assisting Legal in organizing informed consent forms, and finally parsing through the results to draw conclusions. The entire investigation took several months and consisted of more than 30 tests.
Associate Mechanical Engineer
Continuum is a global innovation design firm that develops products, services, and experiences to improve people’s lives. My final co-op placement allowed me to work across the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering teams on several contracted projects, focusing on manufacturing development and validation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and government-mandated work-from-home order, the scope of my co-op was ultimately limited.
Mechanical Engineering Co-op
Ecosense Lighting is a start-up company focused on creating new technologies to change the way that the world views light. My second co-op placement allowed me to be a part of a fast-paced product development team, supporting existing products through feature additions, validation testing, and root-cause analysis. Furthermore, I got the opportunity to work on custom and next-generation products, designing for prototyping and manufacturing.
Mechanical Engineering
R&D Co-op
Haemonetics Corporation is a global leader in blood management solutions, producing a wide variety of devices and consumables primarily focused on blood processing systems and plasma collection. My first co-op placement allowed me to work towards product development across the mechanical, electrical and systems engineering teams as well as gain exposure to advanced laboratory procedures and nano-dispensing technologies.
