One of the joys of the Delta Huddle Podcast is the fact that we talk with experts in a wide array of fields, from transportation and fitness to B2B platforms and entertainment. Today’s episode is a foray into another field, with its own set of challenges: Healthcare.
Factors like HIPAA compliance, potential test participants working 12-to-16 hour long shifts, and a wide-variety of use cases make Healthcare an incredibly unique environment for beta testing. Navigating that space can be difficult but also fantastically rewarding, especially in the light of making the care experience better for caregivers and patients alike. And joining us to discuss beta in the world of healthcare is a program manager at one of healthcare’s leading device makers.
Casey Hamar is Senior Program Manager Beta & User Testing at Stryker. Stryker produces everything from personal protection and surgical equipment to communicators and hospital beds. In her role as Senior Program Manager, Casey works closely with hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare workers to test and improve products used within the field every day.
During our conversation, Casey talked about things like building a body of context around feedback by testing with different audiences in different hospitals, how building relationships with those hospitals allowed her to expand their pay to program, and also why healthcare is such a unique field.
In This Episode:
- (0:00) - Intro
- (2:14) - Casey’s program at Stryker and the products they support
- (5:29) - What does beta testing look like in a medical environment?
- (8:05) - Casey's success metrics for her beta program
- (9:50) - Stryker's mission and how their values align with their beta program
- (14:21) - Tailoring projects and trying to find the right audience
- (18:52) - Working internally and networking externally to build strong relationships
- (28:06) - Empowering caregivers and improving the patient experience through testing
- (31:52) - How context powers feedback and testing with unique audiences
- (36:35) - Finding creative ways to motivate audiences to submit feedback
- (42:31) - How Stryker collects and breaks down data during a test
- (45:58) - Seeing what others don't and keeping an open mind
- (51:10) - Being inclusive to help reduce friction and increase buy-in
- (58:07) - What advice would Casey give to her past self?
About Our Guest:
Casey Hamar is Senior Program Manager Beta & User Testing at Stryker. Casey began her career at a talent lifecycle and change management consulting firm, which worked with 95% of the Fortune 500. While there, she had the opportunity to partner with many healthcare organizations and grew passionate about improving the experience of caregivers and patients. She then joined a healthcare system, outside of Seattle, as Director of Engagement and PX, where she led strategy development and execution based on understanding consumers' viewpoints. Starting in 2016, Casey served as a Sr. Client Service manager in the PX division of Vocera where she continued to focus on research and experience. In 2021, she transitioned to the newly created role of Sr. Program Manager of Beta and User Testing at Stryker concentrating on an excellent end-user experience and continually improving systems that help drive a GA version of a product that results in rapid market adoption.
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