Delivering actionable insights
for complex systems
that help users Thrive.
About Me:
I'm Joe Gerard, a mixed-methods human factors and user experience researcher focusing on commercial, high-throughput, high-risk products.
I employ user-centered design and research principles to uncover challenges, design and facilitate user research, mitigate risk, identify strategic opportunities, and champion those findings and opportunities across teams.
Projects
My work ranges from regulated medical device safety testing to commercial AI feature integration. Click an example to see more.I: Leading agile design research
(a medication recommender / quick-ordering product for primary care providers.)II: Formative and Summative testing for FDA-regulated med-device
(including study planning, recruiting, data collection, analysis, reporting, and risk documentation.)III: Design and strategy considerations of integrating AI/ML Recommendations into an existing product
(prior authorization nurse review software.)
Iterative Design Research
Product: A medication recommender for Primary Care ProvidersResearch Questions:
1: What insights are relevant to surface with medication recommendations, and
2: How can these recommendations be introduced into the provider workflow in the most seamless way?Primary Methods: Workflow observations, User Testing
My Role
* Convert design-team knowledge gaps into actionable research questions
* Identify relevant user groups and manage recruiting efforts
* Design, prepare, and execute all studies
* Assess the usability of system recommendations
* Analyze study results, report findings and recommendations across teams
* Develop and maintain a lightweight research repository to champion findings and inform quarterly product planning
* Standardize research cadence, improving design-cycle speed by 25%
The most insightful thing about this project was...
Just how important it was to make sure the right findings made it to the right stakeholder.With so much Subject Matter Expert involvement, aligning all stakeholders to findings before determining future product goals was crucial for development.
Ask me about...
Unexpected pitfalls + drawbacks to conducting user research on a fixed cadence.
End-to-End Regulated Med-Device Research
Product: Software for a suite of radiographic scanners (X-Rays, MRIs, etc.)Following an FDA Mandated Safety Recall:
Goal: Fix the way users update patient information to minimize risk of data loss or corruptionPrimary Methods: Documented risk analysis, user testing
My Role
* Design and conduct formative and summative studies based on manufacturer's internal risk documentation
* Facilitate data collection during remote user sessions with international participants
* Analyze and report on all findings, drafting FDA documentation
The most insightful thing about this project was...
Just how difficult it can be to test internal products with internal users, especially if those individuals are:
* Contracted or less privy the company's operations
* Limited by language barriers, or
* Located in different time/geographic zones (i.e. overseas).While I was not a contributor, the team presented a conference talk on this very difficulty the following year:
Ask me about...
My experience supporting an established product team in crisis (following a safety recall).
Formative Product Strategy
Product: AI/ML Dashboard and Document Review Recommendations for Prior Authorization Review NursesPrimary Research Questions:
1: Where and How can AI Suggestions be surfaced for maximum benefit?
2: What impacts will these product changes have on the Employee workflow?Primary Methods: User interviews and testing, stakeholder engagement + alignment
My Role
* Identify team's strategic knowledge gaps (re: product, market, or feature)
* Determine, plan, and execute appropriate research activities to address gaps including observations, interviews, user testing, and survey data analysis
* Analyze and recommend opportunities for strategic product direction (eg, product scope, market segmentation, user-product fit, etc.), directly influencing $30M+ in development effort
* Identify end user workflow changes and predict potential time savings of system improvements
* Identify, predict, and mitigate barriers to adoption
The most insightful thing about this project was...
How fast a product can move when research efforts are deeply integrated into strategic planning initiatives, product scoping, and development cadence.
Ask me about...
My impact on the overall product strategy.
Why The Simple Site?
Because I think the best way to get to know what someone does or needs is through a Conversation.
And to that end, this whole portfolio is designed simply to reinforce the landing page:
I deliver actionable insights for complex systems that help users thrive.
If this sounds like it overlaps with your work, I'd love to learn more about what you're building.
Get In Touch!
I'm always open to chat about exciting opportunities!
Email: [email protected]