# S6E33 Bryant Foster | Design for Human Factors & User Experience

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2025-08-15
- Length: 51m
- Episode: 33
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience

## Summary

Bryant Foster, Vice President of Human Factors and User Experience at Research Collective, discusses his background in cognitive psychology and his work with clients like Google, GE Healthcare, and Medtronic. He explains how his team uses advanced usability testing tools, including eye tracking, pupilometry, and facial emotion analysis, to measure cognitive load and objective user behavior rather than relying on potentially dishonest self-reports. Foster details methodologies for ensuring medical device safety, such as use-related risk analysis and task analysis, and shares insights from his time at Google X on the importance of defining clear research questions. He also covers cost-effective approaches like heuristic evaluations and the importance of providing constructive, solution-oriented feedback to engineering teams.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=0) Introduction: Bryant Foster and Research Collective
- [1:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=91) Foster's Background in Cognitive Psychology and UX
- [5:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=319) Why Design Teams Miss Usability Issues: The AI Example
- [11:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=691) Defining Simplicity and Managing Feature Creep
- [14:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=857) Biometric Tools: Eye Tracking, Pupilometry, and Facial Analysis
- [18:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=1083) The Problem with Self-Reported Feedback and User Lying
- [25:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=1541) Providing Constructive Feedback Without Demoralizing Teams
- [28:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=1704) Cost-Effective Human Factors: Heuristic Evaluations
- [31:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=1906) Medical Device Safety: Use-Related Risk Analysis and Task Analysis
- [38:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-15-s6e33-bryant-foster-design-for-human-factors-user-experience#t=2281) Lessons from Google X and Building Research Collective

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Research Collective (company)
- Google (company)
- GE Healthcare (company)
- Medtronic (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- Google X (company)
- Nok (product)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- FDA (other)
- Jakka Nielsen (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Setting the Record Straight on Usability & Human Factors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2021-11-03-setting-the-record-straight-on-usability-human-factors) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [Why Usability Matters](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2021-11-24-why-usability-matters) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [How to Integrate Usability into your Medical Device](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-04-01-how-to-integrate-usability-into-your-medical-device) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [072 - OXO PFS, Drug/Device Usability, Toothbrushes for Children, Epicurious Series and Baseball with Dan Formosa](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-02-15-072-oxo-pfs-drug-device-usability-toothbrushes-for-children-epicurious-series-an) (Let's Combinate)
- [Challenges related to Home Use Devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-09-10-challenges-related-to-home-use-devices) (Global Medical Device Podcast)

## Citing this page

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