A common misconception in engineering is that our primary value lies in execution—in the ability to take a set of specifications and transform them into working hardware, code, or systems. But in my experience, the most successful projects I’ve been a part of were shaped not by engineers who executed quickly, but by engineers who observed deeply, asked relentlessly, and synthesized insightfully.
Great Engineering Begins with Observation
Observation is more than passive data collection. It’s the process of embedding oneself in the environment of the user, understanding the workflow, and uncovering what isn’t written down.
In one of my early projects working on ultrasound imaging systems at Hewlett-Packard, we developed an analysis interface that needed to be fast and intuitive for cardiologists. The specs listed all the parameters that needed to be measured, but they didn’t convey the frenetic pace of a real-time clinical workflow.
By spending time with sonographers, watching how they flew through scans with a mix of muscle memory and intuition, we reimagined the interface. I designed the layout so that no parameter required more than three button presses to access. It wasn’t in the spec—but it was in the context. That interface became one of the most praised aspects of the product.
Inquiry Challenges Assumptions
As engineers, we are trained to solve problems. But sometimes the biggest value we provide is challenging whether the right problem is being solved.
In surgical navigation, I had the opportunity to work with skilled surgeons performing functional endoscopic sinus surgery. This delicate procedure demands a high degree of precision, and the device needs to reflect that. Instead of implementing another human error prone form of registration which all the other systems on the market provided, and the surgeons came to expect, we worked with them to develop a revolutionary form of automatic registration that not only mitigated the error but reduced system setup time in a costly operating room.
By reframing the problem, we created a solution that eliminated extra steps, reduced setup time, and improved accuracy. We didn’t just deliver a feature. We delivered a solution that fit the user’s unmet needs.
Synthesis Turns Data into Direction
Synthesis is where context, inquiry, and information come together into a design path. It’s the ability to abstract from diverse inputs—technical, regulatory, business, and human—and shape a solution that anticipates trade-offs and scales with future needs.
At Boston Engineering, one of my favorite engagements involved a client needing a one-off medical research device. It would never be mass-produced, but it still had to demonstrate clinical value to secure further funding.
We could have built a prototype quickly based on the initial requirements, but instead, we paused. We asked: What’s the path to commercialization if this works? What assumptions are we making about usage, environment, servicing?
That led us to architect the device with modularity and testability in mind—not because it was needed for the first iteration, but because we foresaw what the second and third generation would demand. That decision saved the client months of rework down the road.
The Bottom Line
The best engineers don’t just build. They observe workflows. They ask uncomfortable questions. They synthesize fragmented inputs into holistic solutions.
That’s what transforms an engineering vendor into a trusted partner. That’s what turns a project into a product.
If we want to build things that last, that work the first time, and that improve the way people work and live, then we must see engineering as more than execution. We must see it as insight, earned through observation, inquiry, and synthesis.
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For three decades, Boston Engineering has designed, developed, and optimized devices and technologies the medical community relies on to save lives, enrich quality of life, and reduce costs to the healthcare system. We provide solutions to the challenges in the adoption of surgical robotics.
Our expertise includes industrial design and product redesign, sensors and control systems, robotics technical innovation, and digital software solutions.
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