January!
JANUARY
Happy Birthday Sam & Frank!
What drew you to human factors and what drew you to Core?
(Sam) I've always been interested in the study of human behavior and decision making. Core was a perfect fit because it blended psychology with qualitative research. As a history major, it was important for me to be close to both words and people in my work. Core allows me to do both!
What is one fun fact about yourself?
(Sam) By day I am a human factors researcher, by night I am a ballroom dancer!
Prior to ballroom, I'd done some musical theater, where I discovered what I lacked in singing ability, I made up for on the dance floor. So, in college, I picked up ballroom and never stopped! Depending on the time of year, you might find me at a ballroom, hustle, or country dance competition.
What is your educational or professional background and how does it relate to your everyday job at Core?
(Sam) I studied history and behavioral economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Human factors research requires a unique skillset. Having a blended background of both qualitative and quantitative study has helped me be more at ease as a moderator interviewing study participants, but also to be design studies and analyze data critically.
What do you enjoy doing most at Core? Have you found a "specialty" or "niche" within Core?
(Sam) My favorite days at work are when I can experiment with developing new data collection templates and analysis tools. I was late to the spreadsheet game, but I find learning new formulas and applying them to make data analysis more effective and efficient to be most satisfying.
On an unrelated note, my niche within Core is to be the food/restaurant encyclopedia and designated-Yelper for the many locations our researchers travel to!
What is the worst (or best?) design you have ever seen and why? (Does not have to be medical related)
(Sam) The worst design I have ever seen was the elevator lobby at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. To call an elevator, you selected your intended destination on a touchscreen, then waited to see which one of several elevators you had been assigned to. The elevators themselves had no floor buttons inside, so if you missed the assignment on the touchscreen (which you inevitably did, because who waits around to look at things after you've called an elevator?), and got on the next elevator that arrived, there was no way to select the floor you needed. As a result, you needed to return to the ground floor and repeat the process (hopefully remembering to wait and see which elevator to get on!).
(Sam) I've always been interested in the study of human behavior and decision making. Core was a perfect fit because it blended psychology with qualitative research. As a history major, it was important for me to be close to both words and people in my work. Core allows me to do both!
What is one fun fact about yourself?
(Sam) By day I am a human factors researcher, by night I am a ballroom dancer!
Prior to ballroom, I'd done some musical theater, where I discovered what I lacked in singing ability, I made up for on the dance floor. So, in college, I picked up ballroom and never stopped! Depending on the time of year, you might find me at a ballroom, hustle, or country dance competition.
What is your educational or professional background and how does it relate to your everyday job at Core?
(Sam) I studied history and behavioral economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Human factors research requires a unique skillset. Having a blended background of both qualitative and quantitative study has helped me be more at ease as a moderator interviewing study participants, but also to be design studies and analyze data critically.
What do you enjoy doing most at Core? Have you found a "specialty" or "niche" within Core?
(Sam) My favorite days at work are when I can experiment with developing new data collection templates and analysis tools. I was late to the spreadsheet game, but I find learning new formulas and applying them to make data analysis more effective and efficient to be most satisfying.
On an unrelated note, my niche within Core is to be the food/restaurant encyclopedia and designated-Yelper for the many locations our researchers travel to!
What is the worst (or best?) design you have ever seen and why? (Does not have to be medical related)
(Sam) The worst design I have ever seen was the elevator lobby at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. To call an elevator, you selected your intended destination on a touchscreen, then waited to see which one of several elevators you had been assigned to. The elevators themselves had no floor buttons inside, so if you missed the assignment on the touchscreen (which you inevitably did, because who waits around to look at things after you've called an elevator?), and got on the next elevator that arrived, there was no way to select the floor you needed. As a result, you needed to return to the ground floor and repeat the process (hopefully remembering to wait and see which elevator to get on!).