How can human-centered design influence medical device cybersecurity?

In this episode, Christian Espinosa chats with Dylan Horvath of Cortex Design about the powerful intersection of human-centered design and medical device cybersecurity. They explore how usability, trust, and empathy can shape safer, smarter devices from the start. Dylan also shares valuable insights into building design teams, learning from failure, and driving innovation in regulated industries.

Dylan Horvath is a passionate industrial designer who’s spent decades shaping how people interact with technology. As the founder and CEO of Cortex Design, he’s all about blending creativity and engineering to build medical devices that actually work for people. 

(00:30) Design Thinking in MedTech

* Christian and Dylan discuss the similarities between design and cybersecurity.

(07:08) The Design Process

* How psychological safety and curiosity are foundations for team success.

* Cortex’s lean, iterative process and fast prototyping.

(14:18) Lessons Learned

* Dylan reflects on design failures and what they taught him.

* The balance between regulation and innovation in MedTech.

(21:26) Security and Usability

* Dylan’s thoughts on how threat modeling could better include design teams.

* The trade-offs between usability and strong security in med devices.

(26:36) Design Challenges

* User experience is critical, and overlooking it can lead to products that are difficult to use and unappealing to the market. 

The Med Device Cyber Podcast is brought to you by Blue Goat Cyber, cybersecurity professionals specializing in providing elite cyber solutions for medical devices. Learn more about securing your product and business from cyber-criminals by visiting https://bluegoatcyber.com 

If you’re interested in our services or partnering with us, schedule a Discovery Session: https://meetings.hubspot.com/blue-goat-cyber/discovery-session 

Thanks to Dylan Horvath for being on the show. Connect with Dylan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-horvath/ 

Learn more about Cortex Design: https://cortex-design.com/ 

Christian Espinosa is the CEO and founder of Blue Goat Cyber. 

Christian Espinosa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/ 

Blue Goat Cyber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-goat-cyber/ 

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Feedback? Questions? Contact: https://bluegoatcyber.com/contact/ 

Learn more about Christian Espinosa, buy his books, or invite him to speak on your stage: https://christianespinosa.com/ 

Christian Espinosa on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@ChristianEspinosaOfficial 

The Med Device Cyber Podcast is your essential resource for medical device cybersecurity. Each episode we dive into the latest threats, solutions, and best practices to protect modern healthcare technology. Whether you're a provider, a manufacturer, or a cybersecurity professional, gain the knowledge to safeguard patient safety by subscribing to the Med Device Cyber Podcast. 

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This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co/