Patient-Centered Field Research in Medtech

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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Patient-Centered Field Research in Medtech

Sector: Surgical
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In this Before the Build episode, Eric Olson and Paul Charlebois reflect on the value of patient-centered field research—and how firsthand observation can reframe design priorities and impact outcomes in profound ways.

Paul shares an eye-opening story from a research session observing Mohs surgery, a specialized outpatient procedure for removing skin cancer. At first glance, the experience seemed overwhelming: patients were marked with dotted lines, then underwent facial excisions that appeared disfiguring. But over the course of the day, something deeper unfolded. The real story wasn’t just the clinical effectiveness of the surgery, but how patients experienced care, recovery, and dignity throughout the process.

The team observed how the clinic balanced harsh realities—patients with visible, temporary facial trauma waiting together in a shared space—with quiet, thoughtful design choices: no mirrors, careful pacing, and empathetic reconstruction work. These details emphasized the importance of viewing each case as more than a procedure.

Why Patient-Centered Field Research Matters

As Eric and Paul discuss, patient-centered field research often reveals more than what a design spec or user survey ever could. When engineers and developers step into real clinical environments, they can witness the emotional and procedural nuances that define patient experience. This approach can ultimately lead to better market adoption, stronger user satisfaction, and more impactful innovation.

Even when your device isn’t central to the treatment itself, being present in the broader clinical journey gives design teams critical insight into where they can reduce friction and add value.

Learn more about StarFish Medical.

A patient lies with eyes closed while a clinician marks dotted surgical lines on her face with a skin marker. The patient wears a surgical cap. Overlay text reads: ‘More than a procedure?’ in bold font on a white highlight box.

Patient-Centered Field Research in Medtech

In this Before the Build episode, Eric Olson and Paul Charlebois reflect on the value of patient-centered field research—and how firsthand observation can reframe design priorities and impact outcomes in profound ways.

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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

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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.