UX Process Improvement of R&D Portal in Cancer Research
A top global bio-pharmaceutical company known for its cancer treatments, has been thriving for over a hundred years. Yet, they face ongoing hurdles like updating old tech and processes while creating new systems to centralize bio-sample data into a single location. Solving these problems needs careful handling of tech migration and organizational change management.
They asked our team to uncover critical user needs with search & request process, conduct a thorough UX audit of the R&D portal, and recommend improvements for broader accessibility to bio-samples across the entire enterprise.
Responsibilities
UX Research
User interviews
Focus Groups
Workshop Design
Usability Testing
UX Audit
Product Strategy
Written Reports
Presentations to Stakeholders
Role
UX Researcher and Design Strategist
Duration
August 2021-December 2021
The Problem
Bio-samples, aka living organism cells, are used in research across multiple laboratory sites, but the scientist’s process of obtaining them is a complicated.
The organization’s goal is to centralize bio-material data in one place, so they launched a new portal that combines inventory, search, and requests.
Further issues have been compounded due to different teams starting projects for this, lacking a unified plan and not considering what end-users really need, has led to siloed processes and confusion between research sites.
The Ask
Apply a Design Thinking and UX approach to gain a deep understanding of consumer needs, challenges, and behaviors.
Shift the focus of the technology, processes, and systems used in the online bio-materials catalog portal towards a more user-centered approach.
Enhance accessibility to bio-samples across the entire enterprise, and increased user adoption of the portal.
Approach Overview
A UX-driven process improvement of R&D portal:
Workshops (2) for Discovery and Ideation with project sponsors, team and the Steering Committee.
Semi-Structured Interviews with portal users (9)
Focus Group with Research Heads (3)
Usability Testing with portal users (8)
UX Audit of R&D Portal
Develop recommendations deck based on findings
Presentation to Project Core Team and Steering Committee
The Result & Impact
Boosted productivity in scientific research by enhancing search capabilities and minimizing workarounds to streamline processes.
Improved productivity in data collection by resolving usability issues with single site portal.
Achieved higher adoption rates across 1,000 users of the portal, and gained greater buy-in from stakeholders due to the improvements.
Enhanced portal scalability from comprehensive alignment with end-user needs.
De-risked business investments with end-user testing by ensuring that tech updates align with user preferences before extensive implementation.
