Translating Emotion into Empathetic Medical Design

Paul Charlebois and Eric Olson are seated across from each other at a white table in a modern office setting. The man on the left has curly brown hair and is wearing a light blue button-up shirt. He is smiling and looking toward the man on the right, who has short gray hair, glasses, and is wearing a dark patterned shirt with a small microphone clipped to his collar. The background is a bright, blurred open-plan office with desks and chairs, creating a soft focus effect behind the subjects. A blue pen and a blurred stack of folders or documents are on the table in the foreground.
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Translating Emotion into Empathetic Medical Design

What does empathetic medical design really look like in practice? In this episode of Before the Build, Eric and Paul discuss how emotional insight from field research can profoundly impact the design of medical devices, especially when patients are facing some of the hardest moments of their lives.

Paul shares a story from a nuclear medicine facility where radioactive treatments create high-stakes challenges—not just for patients, but for the teams supporting them. From seemingly humorous anecdotes to fleeting moments of deep emotional connection, this episode unpacks how thoughtful field research leads to human-centered, practical improvements in device design.

Observing Patients Means Understanding People

The conversation explores how true empathy requires stepping into the patient’s world—literally. Field research often leads into hospital closets, nuclear medicine wings, and emotionally charged environments. These are the places where designers can truly understand the needs, fears, and limitations patients face every day.

In one striking moment, Paul describes locking eyes with a patient mid-infusion—capturing a mix of hope, fear, and vulnerability. It’s a reminder that good medical design isn’t just about performance or compliance; it’s about preserving dignity and simplifying care.

Why Empathy Drives Better Outcomes

Ultimately, empathetic medical design leads to better adoption, stronger clinician satisfaction, and more effective treatment workflows. When design accounts for emotional and practical realities—not just functional specs—it supports both patients and care providers in meaningful ways.

Learn more about StarFish Medical.

A hospital patient lies in bed with a blurred background of medical equipment; bold text reads “Empathy in Design” across the top.

Translating Emotion into Empathetic Medical Design

What does empathetic medical design really look like in practice? Eric and Paul discuss how emotional insight from field research can profoundly impact the design of medical devices

A hand holds an iPhone on the left side of the image, with a red curved arrow pointing to a sleek, futuristic medical device shaped like a handheld drill on the right. Above the arrow, a black box with white bold text reads, “Make it like Apple?”.

Apple Design Influence in MedTech Product Development

Many clients now request their devices to look and feel like Apple products. But achieving that level of simplicity and elegance is not as easy as it seems.

A man in a checkered shirt stands and points to a 3D CAD model displayed on a large monitor. The model shows the internal layout of a device with visible components and structural details in purple and white. To the left of the man, bold black text reads “Why Front-End Research matters,” with a large red arrow curving up toward the screen. The background is a clean white, emphasizing the visual focus on the monitor and text.

Contextual Inquiry in MedTech: Observe Before You Build

Paul Charlebois and Eric Olson explore how contextual inquiry in MedTech drives smarter product design. By observing how users interact with devices in real settings, product teams can gather early insights that shape usability, adoption, and safety—long before development begins.