BlackHägen Design Announces Death of Founder and Human Factors Engineer Sean Hägen

With deep sadness we share that Robert Sean Hägen, co-principal, founder and director of research and synthesis at BlackHägen Design passed away on February 25 after a brief illness.

Hägen, who was a contributor to Medtech Intelligence, spent 28 years building BlackHägen Design to support clients in the development of “mission-critical” products. He was pivotal in the advocacy of human factors and good design practices for medical devices and was at the forefront of patient safety initiatives, helping to found the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) Patient Safety Committee.

During his two terms on the IDSA Board of Directors as the Vice President of Special Interest Sections, Hägen led the organization in developing professional continuing education strategies and initiatives. As a lead instructor in the IDSA contextual inquiry workshops, he enriched the education of many of his colleagues.

“Working closely with Sean throughout the years, I know our entire team is honored to continue carrying out his vision for BlackHӓgen Design. His professional focus has always been to make a measurable difference by applying innovative user-centered design, informed through robust human-factors research, that improves the user experience for clinicians with better outcomes for patients,” said Philip Remedios, Sean’s business partner of 21 years. “He was a brilliant yet humble leader and designer who cared deeply for his colleagues, his family, and his clients. Sean will be greatly missed, but his wisdom and legacy will certainly be carried on by those he inspired, led, and nurtured.”

The company announced that Jeff Morang, an executive-level human factors engineer and long-term professional friend to BlackHägen, has been promoted to the position of Director of Human Factors Engineering. Jeff joined the company in September of 2022 and has more than 18 years of Human Factors experience in corporate and consulting roles.

Rich Newman will continue in his role as Usability Engineering Test Manager, overseeing and conducting formal usability testing and other Human Factors activities. Newman has 30 years of experience in the medical device industry and has been with the firm since 2016.

BlackHägen’s Principal Philip Remedios oversees the company’s R&D team and corporate operations.