Sr. Human Factors Design Engineer

Intuitive; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuitive is seeking a Human Factors Design Engineer to advance usability and safety across robotic systems and instruments. You will conduct formative research and hands-on design engineering within product development, collaborating with product managers, engineers, regulatory affairs, and clinical teams.

The role supports de-risking strategies, defines user requirements and interfaces, and shapes training materials for global use.

Qualifications

• Experience planning and executing formative research within product development.
• Ability to collect and synthesize data from interviews, observations and usability tests.
• Translate findings into user requirements and interface design inputs.

Responsibilities

• Develop end-to-end formative research plans for product development with varying prototypes.
• Plan, collect and synthesize data to generate insights on user interaction with Intuitive products.
• Represent Intuitive with end-user clinicians and customers across international markets.
• De-risk design strategies by identifying root causes affecting usability and safety.
• Analyze workflows and user interfaces; propose design improvements to prevent use errors.
• Author and maintain usability design inputs and supporting documentation.

Skills

User research

Human factors

Usability testing

Data analysis

Personas

Prototype development

Job description

Job Description

Primary Function of Position

The Human Factors Design Engineer (HFDE) is part of the Human Factors (HF) organization that aims to maximize usability and desirability of Intuitive products while minimizing risk through scientific research and usability engineering. HFDE is focused on research and design within product development of new robotic systems, instruments and accessories. This role works closely with product managers, clinical engineers, mechanical engineers, computer scientists, industrial/ interaction designers, regulatory affairs, quality and design controls, and other cross functional teams. HFDE helps de-risk design strategies within product development through a range of formative research activities and hands‑on design engineering activities that inform the definition of user requirements and user interface design requirements underlying the user experience of Intuitive products.

The HFDE position reports to a Manager within the broader HF organization at Intuitive.

Essential Job Duties

• Develop, position and execute end-to-end formative research plans within product development that are inclusive of user research, human performance research, as well as explorative co-creation and usability evaluations with prototypes of varying fidelity and resolution.
• Plan, collect and synthesize data to generate insights on how and why users interact with Intuitive products through various techniques including interviews, simulations, direct observations, task analysis, human performance research, persona development, usability testing, mixed methods research, discovery from known use problems, etc.
• Represent Intuitive during interactions with end-user clinicians and customers in multiple international markets to gather design insights in a highly professional manner, during formative research activities.
• De-risk design strategies by identifying root causes that account for human performance influencers underlying the user experience.
• Analyze, define and evaluate workflow and user interface designs. Negotiate design recommendations and improvements to prevent hazardous situations related to use errors and improve usability.
• Accountable for establishment, authoring and management of usability design inputs. Translate findings from formative research activities into insights that are used to define evidence-based user requirements and user interface design requirements to inform user interface design, labeling and training.
• Collaboratively develop conceptual prototypes that reflect performance influencers for showcasing and translating for stakeholders.
• Advocate for safety, usability and desirability of the user experiencewhile balancing tradeoffs associated with project risks and product risks related to user needs and business needs.
• Analyze complaints from on-market products, identify, analyze and manage usability risk analysis, and 
• Author and maintain human factors engineering documentation in support of design controls and regulatory submissions.
• Coordinate human factors efforts across projects involving several sub-systems.
• Manage usability engineering activities within development projects and provide schedules and status to product managers and engineering project managers.