Laboperator
November 2024 / My role was Product Designer
Laboperator is a lab execution system. Scientists run custom lab workflows, remotely operate instruments, and monitor device data.
Problem
Working in a laboratory means tight space, minimal surface area for laptops or tablets, and flexible station changing (no fixed work area).
Laboperator users experience a 30% task-time reduction when using the app compared to traditional methods.
Goal
Decrease amount of time spent on tasks by 100%.
Hypothesis
If Laboperator is a mobile-first expeience, time spent on tasks will be cut in half, increasing core user adoption.
Starting point
To better understand who we are solving for, we interviewed our users directly.
The goal was to understand their problems when working with the app on laptop and tablet.
Who we are solving for & understanding 16 core user problems consolidated in 4 groups
Problems mapped to the lab process
Problems to solutions
Goal 1 | Discover
Help users quickly find the right workflow and understand its purpose, trust, and readiness
Workflow feed and workflow preview
Workflow information hierarchy breakdown
Goal 2 | Navigate
Make instrument availability, ownership, and readiness clear before execution
Device selection
Goal 3 | Execution
Provide clear guidance, ownership, and progress throughout execution
Workflow execution, viewing user notes, and operating a device
Step progression -> View notes
Goal 4 | Review
Clearly connect system data, thresholds, and decisions during and after execution
Clearly understand data acquisition and digging deeper
Operate device -> View measurement
User testing | Workflow execution
Results of user testing
