In MedTech, How Do You Define a User Need? with Nick Lesniewski-Laas of Sunrise Labs

 

The fundamental question that comes with designing new MedTech devices is this one: What are the user needs and requirements? The questions feels simple enough, but it’s far from simple. With that question comes others: Who is the user? What makes a good requirement? How do you actually test these requirements? For a MedTech designer like Nick Lesniewski-Laas, Director of Electrical Engineering for Sunrise Labs, these questions can often inhibit his ability to deliver on quality products if the communication between all parties isn’t consistent and straight-forward. “I’m in the business of designing medical devices because I want to help people and I want to make sure that the devices I design are best able to do that,” Lesniewski-Laas said. “So, a lot of guidelines around requirements writing are aimed toward that but don’t really hit the mark in my opinion.”

On today’s Healthcare podcast, Lesniewski-Laas digs into this multi-layered question of delivering on user needs and defining needs versus requirements versus actual mandated FDA requirements. “By far the most important things to me are ‘unambiguous’ and ‘testable,’ or ‘verifiable,'” Lesniewski-Laas said. He breaks down the importance of atomicity, the way user needs affect everyone from the manufacturers to the patients, and his process for getting everyone involved on the same page so the potentially life-saving product can make its way efficiently to market.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Healthcare Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @HealthMKSL
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Career success
A CEO’s Blueprint for Career Success: Leading with Love to Drive Performance and Culture
March 10, 2026

Leadership right now feels heavier than it did just a few years ago. Teams are stretched, expectations are high, and many employees are quietly disengaged. In fact, Gallup’s 2025 U.S. data shows that only about 31% of employees are actively engaged at work, leaving the majority feeling disconnected or indifferent. For CEOs and senior…

Read More
employer-sponsored apprenticeships
The Degree That Pays You Back: How Employer-Sponsored Apprenticeships Are Rewriting Higher Ed
March 9, 2026

Higher education is under pressure. Over the past few years, public confidence in the value of a four-year degree has declined significantly, with fewer Americans expressing a strong belief that traditional higher education delivers a worthwhile return on investment. At the same time, employers consistently report that graduates lack job-ready skills—particularly the “durable skills”…

Read More
Denial Data
Turning Denial Data Into Action: How Healthcare Organizations Can Fight Back Against Payer Denials
March 5, 2026

Healthcare providers across the U.S. are facing a growing wave of claim denials that is putting pressure on already strained hospital finances. Industry research from the American Hospital Association shows that nearly 15% of medical claims submitted to private payers are initially denied, forcing hospitals and health systems to spend about $19.7 billion annually attempting…

Read More
Jabra
ISE 2026: Jabra Unveils Scalable Room Solutions for the Hybrid Workplace
March 5, 2026

At ISE 2026, Jabra highlighted how meeting technology is evolving to support the realities of hybrid work, where the experience must be equally effective for people inside and outside the room. In a conversation with Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and Founder of The Collab Collective, Jabra’s VP of Video Product Olly Henderson explained that…

Read More