The Challenge
Develop an intuitive user interface for a modern spectrophotometer that facilitates the acquisition, processing, and analysis of given samples, while also acting as a result manager.
Develop an intuitive user interface for a modern spectrophotometer that facilitates the acquisition, processing, and analysis of given samples, while also acting as a result manager.
The first step of this project was to communicate with stakeholders and current users through a series of interviews and surveys to identify existing pain points and opportunities to improve the user experience. The initial research stage helped us develop a strong understanding of both the business goals and user needs. Subsequently, we could streamline the existing information architecture to create consistent navigation, element hierarchy, and overall look and feel. The new UI is optimized for the most common tasks, ensuring technicians employ best practices through minimized user errors. Not only did this provide a better user experience, but it also served the most pertinent needs of the users.
We designed a new UI that prioritizes simplicity and clarity throughout the entire application. By employing a hierarchical visual language that appeals to the primary processes of users, we improved the device’s ease of use. We also achieved a minimal, data-focused UI that provides users with increased accuracy when measuring lab samples by removing non-functional decorative elements. Another positive outcome of the new UI design is that it is so easy to use that it has reduced technician training time.
At-a-glance data visualization is critical for the efficacy of any measuring device. An efficient and meticulous device is particularly crucial in a fast-paced, high-stakes lab environment where technicians rely on the speed and accuracy of these instruments to derive precise sample results. Using the input provided to us by the project stakeholders, we redesigned all charts to present data in a way that can be immediately processed and understood by users.
By employing both static and interactive data visualization techniques, we were able to emphasize the most critical information relevant to a specific test, allowing users to more efficiently and accurately decide upon the next course of action for any given patient.
Any icon incorporated into the design of an interface must have an obvious purpose that users immediately understand. When designing the icons for the project, we focused on simplifying the client’s existing iconography to optimize functionality, recognizability, and memorability.
Using the foundational grid and the client’s existing guides for icon treatment, we eliminated unnecessary ornamentation that could short-circuit the user’s mental model, optimizing user efficiency through minimized cognitive load and user errors.