Next in our Hang out with Haughton series, we chat to Senior Design Development Engineer, John. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Product Design as well as certificates in Project Management and UX Design, John is an advocate of user-centred design and finding innovative solutions within regulated fields. John has over a decade of experience within the medical device industry from working as a Design & Development Consultant helping companies to develop innovative medical and consumer devices, to head of Industrial Design at a company developing imaging equipment for early detection of breast cancer.
When it came to deciding what career to follow, I was conflicted: I really enjoyed the world of maths and science but had a passion for fine art (particularly sculpture) and believed that the two professions were at odds with one another. It was only when I went to a Ross Lovegrove exhibition that I discovered that there was a profession that fused maths and science with art: Design Engineering.
The week starts with a team meeting to discuss progress on open projects, the important milestones coming up and some of the challenges that we are facing. I will then plan my week out using a time-blocking technique. Depending on the nature and phases of projects, the week will be filled with brainstorming sessions, client meetings, project management tasks, design, and engineering work.
As the head of systems and the quality manager for the company, I also spend a fair amount of time during the week maintaining the company’s CAPA log as well as arranging team training and looking for ways to make the system and our procedures more efficient.
Although the projects that we work on are diverse and pose their own unique set of problems, our problem-solving techniques are transferable and allow us to hit the ground running, even if it is a brand-new technology that we are developing.
Knowing your teammates’ strengths is a strong start. This will allow you to assign the best person suited to a particular task. From there it is all about high quality and regular communication.
I believe in failing fast: have a really thorough understanding of the assumptions you have made and test these assumptions at the earliest chance possible, usually through prototyping.
We worked on a phase zero medical implant. The challenging nature of the problem forced us to think way outside of the box. The project also gave us the chance to explore fascinating materials such as shape-memory alloys.
Senior Design Development Engineer
Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Product Design as well as certificates in Project Management and UX Design, John is an advocate of user-centred design and finding innovative solutions within regulated fields. With over a decade’s experience in the medical device industry from working as a Consultant helping companies develop innovative medical devices, to head of an Industrial Design company developing imaging equipment for early detection of breast cancer, John also manages our ISO 13485 & ISO 9001 QMS.
Get In Touch
For many engineers, chartership can be the next logical step in their career once they’ve got a degree and worked as a professional for several years. It has benefits such as recognition of your lev...
At Haughton Design, we’re often asked to step in to save failing projects. Although each project will require a bespoke plan, the following insight into common issues should be helpful to those mana...
The HD team has grown once again! Following our most successful 12 months to date, we have further expanded the team by welcoming Luke Brown who joins as a Design Development Engineer. This week, Luke...
Using FEA can be hugely beneficial to a project as it will typically reduce costs, save time and improve product performance. Further benefits arise with lower environmental impact by using reduced ma...
After completing my A-Levels I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career, the only thing I knew for definite after many open days was that I didn’t want to go down the typical route of universit...
While our primary aim is to help users lives, it’s important that we help the planet where possible too. We asked the team about some of the challenges faced as well as their discoveries and process...
Human Factors Engineering (HFE), focuses on the interactions between people and devices to minimise use-related hazards and enhance patient safety. Senior Design Engineer, John, and Human Centred Desi...
What is Vacuum Casting, how does it work and how can it benefit the product and medical device prototyping process? The vacuum casting process is very similar to the plastic injection moulding process...
I believe in failing fast: have a really thorough understanding of the assumptions you have made and test these assumptions at the earliest chance possible, usually through prototyping....
A connected medical device is one that forms part of the Internet-of-Medical-Things [IoMT] ecosystem. The IoMT ecosystem facilitates the collection, analysis, and transmission of health data so aims t...
Next in our user series, we chat to Tayla Collinson, a 27-year-old who manages a number of chronic conditions and is currently living with a suprapubic catheter. ...
"Once you ae chartered that is not the end of your education, there will always be new technologies and skills to learn about and apply". This week we chatted to Lead Design Engineer, Jack about his r...
“The more you design things, the more you look at the products around you and wonder how they’ve been made, what the design process must’ve been and question why they designed it like that, and ...
Despite regularly working on a variety of product and medical device projects, there are always improvements to be made and taking the time to really understand user needs is often a crucial piece to ...
This week, Design Manager, Mark shares what attracted him to design & engineering, a typical work week and the biggest challenges he faces in his role as well as insight into the tools he uses to plan...
Developing drug delivery platforms and medical devices can be labour intensive and a frustratingly lengthy process, even for the simplest of devices. Here at Haughton Design, we have worked hard on op...
