Major Design Firm Re-positions for Medical Market; GVO Hires Medical Industry Expert.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1996--In an unusual move among product development consultants, GVO Inc. announced the formation of the Medical Products Group - an integrated team of product specialists that compliments the firm's unique innovation process with medical product marketing expertise.

Danusia Szumowski, formerly of Alza Pharmaceuticals, joins GVO as Principal, to lead this new group. This move positions GVO for rapid future growth in the medical market, and continues the firm's strategy of integrating varied disciplines - ethnographers, market and product strategists, industrial designers, interaction designers and engineers - to develop breakthrough products based on new ways of understanding customers.

According to Robert Hall, GVO Senior VP, "The arrival of Danusia Szumowski and consolidation of our in-house medical experience, with support from teams of multi-industry, multi-disciplined professionals, offers GVO's clients a unique combination of knowledge and creativity. GVO is shifting the focus of medical product development from science to successful market outcomes."

Szmowski brings to GVO a multi-disciplined background that spans academic research and industry product development. Prior to joining GVO, her consulting client base included top pharmaceutical companies and firms developing innovative computer applications in medicine. Her experience includes leading market research and work in new product planning at Alza Pharmaceuticals, where she managed a portfolio of more than 20 products. She has significant international experience in the public sector, directing public health projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Szumowski joins Hall, Ben Thomas, GVO's Vice President of Engineering, Dawn Ryan, Program Manager, and Stephanie Henze, who together have more than 60 years of medical industry experience. GVO has a solid track record in developing successful breakthrough products for Fortune 2000 companies, including Metrika, Johnson & Johnson, Syntex Agribusiness, and Becton Dickinson.

According to Szmowski, "Among the greatest challenges facing medical companies today are late stage changes in development. GVO helps its clients avoid them, by identifying users and influencers early on, and incorporating them throughout an interactive process of conceptualization and evaluation."

GVO

GVO is the product definition and development company. Consistently ranked among the top 10 product development firms in the United States, GVO has more than 30 years of experience guiding Fortune 2000 companies in achieving market leadership and business success with breakthrough products. GVO's interdisciplinary teams of experts in fields ranging from applied ethnography to industrial design, engineering, interaction design, and market strategy help GVO's clients understand their customers - their culture and emotion - and consistently produce products that exceed market expectations. From inception to successful product launch, GVO provides its clients with continuous process expertise. Based in Palo Alto, California, GVO Inc. serves clients worldwide in high technology, medical diagnostic and delivery, and consumer product markets. -0-

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David Lieberman, 415/354-0622

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John Sommerfield, 415/356-1041

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