Developing a plate repository from 0 -> 1 to enable 500+ scientists to identify, learn about and select labware
ROLE
Product Design Intern
User Research, Usability Testing, Wireframing, Card Sorts, Visual Design, Prototyping
DURATION
Jun 2023 - Aug 2023
TEAM
Product Designers
Product Managers
Automation Engineers
Software Engineers
IMPACT
After testing with 5 scientists, we discovered that our solution hit the mark!
And that says a lot!
100% task completion rate
when scientists were asked to find, select, and compare labware via user testing
“Just click use plate, right? I found that very easy.”
- Scientist
Enhanced findability
by introducing an expansive filter capability that helped scientists narrow down their search faster
Reduced labware errors
by creating a nomenclature that ensures scientists know exactly which labware they are selecting
"I know 'yeah, it'll definitely have this characteristic, this characteristic and that characteristic'. So I liked that."
- Scientist
Allowing for a seamless upload flow
so that automation engineers can spend more time configuring machines instead of trying to find scattered details about labware
BUT LET'S BACKTRACK…
PROBLEM
Scientists don't have an accurate source of truth for labware details, resulting in labware selection errors that damage experiments.
The result? Costly experiment replication, frustrated scientists, and unnecessary troubleshooting.
Labware characteristics can affect things like microbial growth, liquid transfers, and other processes.
This means they can vary in a lot of different ways, such as having different:
Well bottom geometry
Well # / well density
Well top geometry
USER RESEARCH
I talked with 4 different scientist personas that work closely with labware
This helped me unravel their individual user journeys and summarize my findings into 3 key pain points
Inconsistent naming schema
Confusion about what plate types exist
Digital plate selection doesn't match to a physical plate in the lab
An affinity map helped me understand what characteristics matter when selecting labware
As well as highlighting just how detrimental selecting the wrong labware can be.
"Every now and then… we find out that we thought a plate in [our system] was one plate and it turns out…it was not the right plate and there was a better plate type we could have been using.”
- Participant 2 | Operator
“There's a G sheet or Excel sheet now that was kind of put together….But like I said… you have to find that sheet, find your plate, open the data sheet and then like look at it there versus it just being in a table for you.”
- Participant 1 | Method developer
“If we want real quantitative OD data, then we'd have to use either a transparent plate for the culturing…or we would have to transfer our cultures from a 3 84 echo PP to a clear bottom plate.”
- Participant 8 | Method developer
And a journey map helped me tie all these data points together
I created 4 different maps for each persona I interviewed.
HMW STATEMENT
WITH A LABWARE REPOSITORY!
Easier labware selection means less time and money wasted on replicating costly experiments
This causes unnecessary friction for our customers and the businesses they are communicating with.
DECIDING ON OUR NAMING SCHEMA
I conducted a closed card sort to determine which characteristics are useful for scientists to know
I had 8 scientists group these characteristics into the following buckets:
I did a spreadsheet matrix to see the most prioritized characteristics to the least prioritized characteristics.
DECIDING ON OUR NEW SCHEMA
A/B testing helped us understand whether or not to keep or remove certain characteristics
We found that both versions we tested provided value for different reasons, so we combined the two together
REASONS FOR IMPORTANCE
Well depth/volume tells us if it'll fit our experiment
Part # helps us locate it in the lab
ALIGNING WITH STAKEHOLDERS
Afterwards, I hosted a workshop with cross-functional teammates to align on the experience
This helped us understand what types of labware would be feasible to include in the repository (e.g plates) and allowed us to prioritize core features, such as filtering and comparison
MESSY SKETCHES TURNED TO REFINED PROTOTYPES
I went from quick sketches, to scrappy mid fidelity, to a clickable prototype that was user friendly and efficient
Continuous testing with scientists throughout each phase helped me understand how to maximize efficiency and reduce friction
Uncovered my appreciation for UX
This was my first internship in Product Design and working alongside such passionate people was a fulfilling experience that I'll cherish forever. To connect with people and make their processes easier- it's something I can see myself doing for a long time.
The power of collaboration
I'm always hungry for feedback and ways to improve, so I enjoyed working alongside a team where we could bounce ideas off each other, collaborate and learn together.
Ship fast and test faster
One thing I'd do differently would be to step away from being pixel perfect and instead prioritize user testing earlier on in the low fidelity stage. It would've saved time and allow me to come up with more ideas that I didn't initially anticipate having.
As a spoiler, if anyone else is ever looking for a great addition to their team and needs an original thinker and a great problem solver, Roshida brings all that and more. Having her with us this summer was a pleasure, and really moved the needle on the "plate selection" problem!
- Dave Philbin, Prev. Head of UX at Ginkgo Bioworks