Online Support is an end-to-end service solution for Roche Diagnostic customers when dealing with technical issues.
Project Overview
Each time you perform a blood test, your sample is transferred to the lab where it's placed in one
of the advanced analyzers. Chances are that machine is leased by Roche - the world leader in the
distribution of diagnostic equipment.
Despite this, Roche has limited metrics and insight into the experience of laboratory staff and their problems while using the analyzers.
of the advanced analyzers. Chances are that machine is leased by Roche - the world leader in the
distribution of diagnostic equipment.
Despite this, Roche has limited metrics and insight into the experience of laboratory staff and their problems while using the analyzers.
I joined the newly created Digital Transformation
team to explore the problems and opportunities in labs, and ultimately co-create new solutions tailored to customer needs.
team to explore the problems and opportunities in labs, and ultimately co-create new solutions tailored to customer needs.
My role
User research, prototyping, UI design
Built the product from zero
Workshop facilitator
Results
Co-designed flexible access to Roche Customer Support 24/7
Reduced issue resolution time
Increased lab automation and process standardization
The Process
Finding opportunities through understanding customers' experiences
We kicked off the project with discovery research focused on core lab customers and inspecting their end-to-end journey (from sample picking to getting final results). Together with 3 project managers and another UX designer, we visited 5 different hospitals in the UK in order to experience firsthand what's happening inside the labs and uncover insights.
Our main research objective was to understand key moments of frustration and delight for various people in labs as well as to map all their touchpoints with Roche.
As for the selected methodology, we decided to rely mostly on a contextual inquiry approach. It was essential for us to spend time where the work happens and silently observe different interactions, asking questions only when it was necessary to better understand why something is done in a certain way. Additionally, in each of the visited labs, we conducted in-depth interviews with 3-4 key employees.
We observed a lab’s reality which is defined by a gap between low and high technology
Lack of empowerment is frustrating
Labs feel restricted when it comes to solving technical issues on analyzers. They feel they don’t receive enough training and lack of material to hand to maintain their instruments as they would like.
Labs feel restricted when it comes to solving technical issues on analyzers. They feel they don’t receive enough training and lack of material to hand to maintain their instruments as they would like.
Technology adds complexity
Hardware and software used by the labs seem to create additional work instead of simplifying it. Workarounds and hacks are commonplace to deal with shortcomings but often add even more work.
Hardware and software used by the labs seem to create additional work instead of simplifying it. Workarounds and hacks are commonplace to deal with shortcomings but often add even more work.
One of the many user journeys we created based on our research findings (along with unique personas).
All of the crafted materials were essential to prepare Design Thinking workshop.
All of the crafted materials were essential to prepare Design Thinking workshop.
How might we empower lab operators and help them get their analyzers up and running again?
After several days of consolidating our newly acquired knowledge, we decided to share our discoveries with a wider audience during the workshop. Our plan was to invite not only management and developers but also technical experts — engineers who regularly visit the labs and repair the analyzers. We knew their support was essential to create a new solution that would make a change. Our Design Thinking workshops spanned 3 days, during which the teams explored various concepts to support labs in quickly solving the issue. One of the most significant aspects mentioned by the engineers was that many easy-to-medium problems could be solved by the labs themselves if only given the necessary guidance. It would also be a huge relief for engineers who frequently have to travel for issues that could be resolved within 5 minutes.
Back then, the only option to get assistance was through contacting the helpline which often led to prolonged waiting times and disrupt regular lab duties. For more complex cases, they might wait days for an engineer to visit.
I like to summarize all the most promising workshop ideas in the form of rough mockups. In this way, it's easier to get back to some more advanced or challenging ideas, gather the initial impressions from users, as well as further influence business stakeholders.
During the visits, we noticed that nearly every lab had its own paper logbook (typically a notebook or folder) containing a detailed description of problems that had occurred on each machine, when they had happened, and who had solved them. This logbook also served as a repository for instructions obtained via helpline or engineers, enabling lab personnel to refer back to them in the future. However, since this knowledge was only documented on paper, finding solutions for similar problems was challenging due to the lack of structure and hurried handwriting.
It was the epiphany moment when we realized that most lab issues were not being reported to Roche yet were a crucial part of machine usage history. Hence, as our MVP we decided to develop a simple tablet app designed for quick recording of all issues spotted in the lab which could also act as a first line of help, especially for reoccurring issues.
Creating Digital Logbook
Ensuring lab staff can easily document issues
Once we had a clear understanding of the MVP goals, we begin working on user flows and exploring the simplest way to log an issue in the app. It was crucial to keep in mind that many lab employees are not highly skilled with technology, so the entire process of documenting the issue needs to be as simple as possible.
UX played an essential role in making a behavioral change and moving away from paper-based solutions in favor of a new app.
UX played an essential role in making a behavioral change and moving away from paper-based solutions in favor of a new app.
As our small team was co-located in Brighton for the first month of work on MVP, we spent a lot of time together drafting and improving the app workflow.
One of the first tested designs for creating / updating ongoing issue
Continuous user research
Customer interactions played a crucial role in implementing changes throughout the entire project. We quickly learned that logging an issue requires more advanced information and the ability to share it with Roche specialists. While visiting new labs, it also became apparent to us that not all facilities could afford tablets, which led to the decision to develop a responsive mobile version (tablet was the preferred option chosen by initially visited labs - as it's easier to view photos and read troubleshooting instructions from a larger screen).
Me and my fellow designer had the responsibility of conducting and documenting all visits and remote testing, but all team members, including developers, had the opportunity to participate and assist. This inclusive approach resulted in a dedicated and committed team working towards a common goal - to make labs' life easier.
It was fantastic to observe our users effortlessly exploring the app!
More advanced version of the form where we also included an ability to request a call back from support.
"Barney is down!"
Are we speaking our customers' language?
Are we speaking our customers' language?
We continued visiting the labs not only to test the usability of our solution but also to seek inspiration for future iterations. We've noticed that especially in larger laboratories machines of the same type are given unique names or nicknames as the only distinguishing feature is a long and complicated ID number. The order of the machines also matters since they're usually connected in the form of a "line".
Our team started brainstorming ways to incorporate this natural language of communication into each lab while ensuring that all the details could be shared with Roche systems. Some lab managers suggested creating a simple app onboarding where they could easily customize names and reorder elements as needed.
Once we validated the possibility of overwriting the names and established the workflows, I started to work on the user interface itself. I love to start with a low-fidelity sketch and then refine it to communicate with teams and provide a common understanding. Later I jumped onto Axure to create an interactive prototype in order to test this advanced onboarding tool with lab managers.
Interactive prototype of "Lab Setup" built in Axure for the purpose of usability testing
From paper logbook:
"Our current paper-based logbook is inefficient and takes hours every week of additional work."
To Digital Logbook:
"I prefer the iPad version over the paper logbook. It’s easier to browse through history. I can quickly find existing issues by typing the alarm code."
Official Online Support
After the success of our MVP, our application was introduced to selected labs in Germany and Spain. Over the next few months, we continued working in sprints taking into account the requirements coming from new countries. Ultimately, we significantly expanded the product, which finally included:
- logging new issues and reviewing the status of ongoing ones
- solving the problem based on previously documented solutions
- official Roche tutorials
- request helpline support
- chat with the engineer
-dashboard for managers to track the most common errors
-and more :)
- logging new issues and reviewing the status of ongoing ones
- solving the problem based on previously documented solutions
- official Roche tutorials
- request helpline support
- chat with the engineer
-dashboard for managers to track the most common errors
-and more :)
One of the last "vision" prototypes created in Sketch/InVision
Reflections
I spent 13 months with the team and it was one of the most impactful and rewarding projects during my 3+ years of working at Roche. Not only did I have the opportunity to use many different UX techniques and wear many hats, but I was also actively influencing the strategy and vision for the entire product. I'm extremely happy that we were given the chance to adopt a full design thinking framework in which users are at the forefront, providing us with insights in order to make a meaningful change. Online Support is now available to lab users across most parts of Europe, the US, and Asia.
