Client
Karius

Location
Redwood City, CA

Company Size
151

Timeframe
October 2021 - February 2022

Role
UX Research Intern

Project Overview

This project aimed to evaluate the operational effectiveness and enhance communication among interdepartmental teams for Karius, a leading life science company specializing in infectious disease diagnostics. Through comprehensive research and collaboration with UX designers and cross-functional teams, we focused on optimizing the product development lifecycle (PDLC) and improving usability across tools used by various teams. Key objectives included visualizing workflows to capture team actions and tool usage, advocating for early user feedback practices, and integrating UX considerations into engineering processes. By addressing challenges such as complex workflows and tool integration issues, we aimed to streamline operations, reduce errors, and ultimately enhance overall efficiency and collaboration within Karius.

Problem Statement

Communication breakdowns occurred among three teams responsible for various stages of the product development lifecycle. Each team communicated sporadically during certain process steps and not at all during others. Compounding this issue, the teams were required to use six different tools that did not always integrate seamlessly, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors due to disparate interfaces.

User Pain Points

1. Communication Breakdowns: Teams experience inconsistent communication patterns, leading to misunderstandings, delays, and potentially incomplete information sharing.

2. Sporadic Communication: Teams communicate only at certain steps of the product development process, which can lead to gaps in understanding and alignment.

3. Tool Integration Challenges: The requirement to use six different tools that do not seamlessly integrate creates inefficiencies and increases the likelihood of errors.

4. Interface Disparities: Teams face difficulties navigating different interfaces across multiple tools, potentially leading to usability issues and a steeper learning curve.

5. Room for Error: The disjointed communication and tool integration issues increase the risk of errors in the product development process, impacting quality and timelines.

Overall, these challenges hinder collaboration, impact productivity, and introduce risks to the quality and timeliness of product development efforts.

User Research

To gain deeper insights into the product development lifecycle (PDLC) and the specific roles of each team in synthesizing patient lab results, as well as to understand their communication tool usage, I conducted a series of interviews. Nine one-hour interview sessions were dedicated to exploring team roles and interactions with communication tools. Additionally, to uncover barriers and challenges faced by users in their roles, I conducted seven more one-hour interviews. To observe firsthand the daily challenges and processes within the lab environment, I conducted 30 hours of observational interviews with one of the three teams involved in the PDLC.

• Competitive analysis: Competitive research was not deemed necessary for this project, as Karius has distinguished itself with a groundbreaking offering: a rapid, non-invasive detection of infectious diseases through their trademarked diagnostic test. This novel approach sets Karius apart in the industry, rendering traditional competitive analysis unnecessary for understanding their market position and unique value proposition.

• User profiles: Due to the confidential and proprietary nature of some information gathered during the research, I regret that I am unable to provide detailed user personas derived from this study. The sensitivity of certain data necessitates its protection, preventing full disclosure of individual user profiles at this time.

Team Tool Usage Chart

This image illustrates the frequency with which each team utilizes the tools essential to their job responsibilities. To uphold client privacy, identifying information such as team and tool names has been omitted from the chart.

Ideation & Conceptualization

I collaborated with a UX designer to create a visual workflow using swim lanes, capturing the key actions performed by the three teams at each stage of the product development lifecycle (PDLC) and highlighting the tools they utilized. Additionally, I engaged with the IT and engineering departments to assess the feasibility of addressing a specific pain point identified by one user group, which was causing additional workload for their team. Working closely with these teams, I advocated for the end user perspective, leading to a successful resolution of the issue to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

Cross-Functional Workflow

This cross-functional team workflow details task usage by tool and was showcased in the final presentation summarizing our qualitative research efforts. To maintain client confidentiality, this image has been intentionally blurred.

Implementation

• Design iterations: The workflow described above underwent several rounds of iteration and clarification discussions with the involved teams. This process ensured that the final visualization accurately captured the actions, tools, and stages of the product development lifecycle as perceived and understood by all stakeholders.

• Collaborations: I collaborated closely with multiple teams throughout this research initiative. Working alongside the UX research director and a UX designer, we visualized workflows using swim lanes to capture the actions and tool usage of three distinct teams across the product development lifecycle (PDLC). Additionally, I engaged extensively with IT and engineering departments to explore the feasibility of addressing specific pain points identified by user groups, which were causing additional workload. Through iterative discussions and clarification sessions with these teams, we ensured that the final workflows accurately represented the processes and resolved issues effectively, ultimately benefiting the end users.

• Challenges: The research presented its own challenges, including navigating a complex workflow that involved genomic sequencing, managing communication complexities among three teams using multiple tools, and overcoming resistance from the IT department to implement necessary changes to improve usability.

• Solutions: Through our research, several solutions were identified and implemented. Recommendations were made to the company to establish a practice of soliciting user feedback early and frequently, particularly for internally developed tools, to preempt usability issues before they manifest in software. We also advocated for integrating UX considerations into engineering processes to proactively address observed challenges. One significant usability issue, which caused workarounds and production delays, was successfully resolved as a result. Additionally, we created and delivered an Excel sheet of design recommendations tailored to each team, addressing specific issues with the tools they used, based on insights gained from the research.

Outcome

Although my internship concluded before I could witness additional measures implemented based on the research findings, here are potential metrics and methods the company might employ to gauge effectiveness:

1. Improved Workflow Efficiency: Measure the reduction in time taken to complete tasks across the PDLC stages after implementing the visualized workflows and addressing pain points.

2. Enhanced Tool Integration: Quantify the increase in user satisfaction with tool integration by conducting surveys or feedback sessions post-implementation.

3. Reduced Error Rates: Track the decrease in errors or issues reported by teams during the PDLC stages, particularly related to communication and tool usage.

4. Increased User Adoption: Measure the uptake of the visualized workflows and any new processes introduced by observing usage analytics or conducting adoption surveys.

5. Cost Savings: Calculate any cost savings or efficiencies gained by reducing the extra workload identified during the feasibility discussions with IT and UX teams.

6. Team Satisfaction: Assess team satisfaction through qualitative feedback or surveys to understand the impact of resolving pain points and improving workflow clarity.

   
   These measurable outcomes can help demonstrate the tangible benefits of the research and initiatives within the organization.