SCIEX Molecular Devices’ flagship software, SCIEX OS, a suite of over 20 applications for molecular research, suffered from inconsistent user experiences, hindering scientists’ efficiency and increasing the potential for errors. This project focused on unifying the complex SCIEX OS ecosystem into an intuitive, user-friendly platform, using a robust design system and improved workflows to empower scientists and accelerate their research.
The Challenge
SCIEX OS presented a fragmented user experience:
- Navigation: Complex, nested menus and inconsistent navigation elements forced users to jump between applications.
- Visuals: A lack of unified visual language (typography, color, components) created a disjointed and overwhelming experience.
- Terminology: Inconsistent labelling of functions increased user confusion and error potential.
My Role
As Lead UI Designer, I spearheaded the redesign, focusing on:
- Design Strategy: Championing a user-centered design vision aligned with SCIEX‘s business goals (increased user satisfaction, reduced support calls, improved data integrity).
- Design System: Creating and implementing a scalable design system with accessibility best practices.
- UI Design: Designing interfaces, key interactions and prototyping using a user-centered approach.
- User Research: Leading user research, usability testing, and feedback analysis to inform design decisions.
- Collaboration: Leading design workshops and ensuring alignment with product managers, developers, and stakeholders.
Approach: User-Driven Transformation
- User Research & Contextual Inquiry: We observed 10 scientists in their labs, noting that a single workflow often required switching between 3 applications. User interviews further revealed frustrations and pain points. We asked targeted questions such as: “How often do you switch between apps?”, “What are your biggest challenges when using the software?”
- Scalable Design System: I led the team to create a robust design system:
- Accessible Style Guide: Defined a WCAG compliant colour palette, a legible typography scale, a spacing system and an icon library.
- Reusable Component Library: Developed accessible, reusable components (buttons, inputs, tables) with clear guidelines.
- Comprehensive Documentation: Shared guidelines, documentation and governance processes ensured system adoption and future maintenance.
- Streamlined Navigation: User research and testing indicated the original top menu was complex. We therefore replaced it with a vertical, task-oriented sidebar, improving scannability and simplifying access to core actions. Initial testing revealed a 7-8 step workflow was reduced to 3-4 steps by consolidating actions and eliminating unnecessary hand-offs.
- Iterative Design: We employed task success rates, SUS scores, and observation notes to gather user feedback. This feedback led to key changes in terminology and the reduction of steps in the workflows. The prototype was then updated and retested. This process was repeated 3 times.
- Collaboration: I facilitated regular design workshops, presenting design options, explaining rationales, and incorporating feedback from product, dev, and stakeholders. This ensured technical feasibility and streamlined design hand off.
Outcomes: Quantifiable Improvements
The redesign significantly improved SCIEX OS:
- Task Completion: Task completion time was reduced by 50%.
- User Errors: User errors decreased by 30%.
- Satisfaction: Post-implementation user surveys reported 90% positive feedback.
- Scalability: The design system became the foundation for future product development. [Placeholder Image 6: An infographic visualizing the key metrics: 50% faster, 30% fewer errors, and 90% positive feedback. Caption: “Key metrics showcase the significant impact of the redesign on efficiency, data accuracy and user satisfaction.”]
Reflection & Lessons Learned
Key learnings: rigorous user research, design system implementation, and cross-functional collaboration are critical to achieving successful outcomes. This experience refined my ability to lead complex projects and deliver business results using user-centered design.
Tools Used:
(Figma, Adobe Illustrator)
Next Steps (Optional):
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