Sally's Usability Playlist

by Sally Manikin

Hi, I'm Sally Manikin. I'm best known for being the face of Design Science, whether I'm acting as a mock patient or if you've followed my adventures (if you know, you know). However, you might not be aware that I also serve as a disc jockey for Design Science, getting our team pumped up for our usability studies. I've curated the perfect playlist of songs that I'm convinced are all about usability and human factors. If you need some inspiration for your next usability study, I recommend listening to these songs at full blast. You can thank me later.

1. “Rise Up” by Andra Day

This epic song from the COVID-19 era provided hope to many as we all battled the pandemic. The lyrics in a way also symbolize the positive change that well-designed and user-friendly medical devices can bring to individuals’ lives.

2. “Better Together” by Jack Johnson

When I listen to this song, I connect it to the collaboration between medical device designers, users, and healthcare professionals, which leads to improved usability for patients' needs.

3. “New Soul” by Yael Naim

This song serves as a good refresher when we encounter newer products, providing a fresh perspective on the role of human factors in the development and innovation of healthcare products.

4. “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars

In my head I sing: “You can count on meeee, sallyyyyyyyyyyyyyy for usabilityyyy, I’ll be there” *sing in key*

You can always count on me and our team to be there to guide you through every step of usability testing. This song also resonates with our users because, thanks to human factors and usability testing, they can rely on the effectiveness of well-designed medical devices.

5. “Upgrade U” by Beyonce

Queen B knew that usability testing leads to device enhancements that elevate the overall experience for users. Hence, 'Upgrade U,' with 'U' standing for Usability.

6. “Fix You” by Coldplay

In this song it mentions the importance of learning from your mistakes to “fix”. This is what we strive to do every day when we observe use errors. We then use that information to enhance the device and labelling to improve usability!

7. “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor

This song always reminds me of the amazing people from all different walks of life that I have connected with in the usability labs. Without the support of real users’ feedback, we would be lost.

8. “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons

There’s no better feeling than the sense of accomplishment and achievement that arises from successfully designing and testing user-centric medical devices.

9. “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson

I thought I’d end with this song, as it relates to our company vision. It emphasizes the impact of well-designed medical devices, contributing to better healthcare access and hopefully, one day healing the world by design.