From Code to Collaboration: Brian Wilson on Building Better Software

At IntelliDesign, strong engineering outcomes are built on collaboration, technical depth, and a constant drive to improve. We recently spoke with Brian Wilson, Head of Software, about his role, what motivates him, and how software continues to evolve within complex product development environments.

Brian joined IntelliDesign two years ago, bringing with him nearly two decades of experience in software engineering. As Head of Software, he plays a key role within the broader design and engineering team, helping shape how software is developed, tested, and integrated across a wide range of projects.

What stands out most to Brian in his time at IntelliDesign is the opportunity to work across different technologies and disciplines. Exposure to new tools and systems has been a consistent highlight, but equally important is how closely teams work together.

“The collaboration between different engineering disciplines and departments is a big part of what makes the work rewarding,” Brian explains. “When teams are aligned and working closely together, it leads to better outcomes for our customers.”

That focus on outcomes is also reflected in Brian’s approach to software quality. He is particularly passionate about building systems that are robust, testable, and reliable from the outset.

“I care a lot about code quality,” he says. “We’re always looking at ways to introduce stronger quality gates to catch bugs early and prevent regressions. Creating software that is inherently testable is a big part of that.”

This mindset becomes even more critical in highly regulated environments such as medical devices. Brian has experience working with IEC 62304, the international standard that governs medical device software development. While the standard introduces additional structure and rigour, he sees strong alignment with broader engineering principles.

“The framework itself isn’t entirely different from general systems engineering,” he notes. “But applying that experience in a new industry brings its own challenges, which makes it both interesting and rewarding.”

Like many in the industry, Brian is also closely watching the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. Rather than viewing it as a disruption, he sees it as a valuable tool that can enhance how engineers work.

“AI has grown incredibly quickly over the past year, and we’re already seeing the benefits,” he says. “It’s not just about writing code, it’s also useful for reviewing and understanding code, which is where a lot of engineering time is actually spent.”

For Brian, the future of software at IntelliDesign is not about any single tool or technology, but about continuously improving how teams work, collaborate, and deliver.