VANTAGE AND ORDER MANAGEMENT PORTAL
Roche
In the summer and fall of 2022, I worked for the Digital Pathology Team at Roche, where I worked on various products. This is my journey.
Due to NDA I can't publicly display the project, please reach out to me for the password.
Full Process Deck
Responsibilities
Storyboarding, Design System, Information Architecture, Visual Design, Cognitive Walkthrough, A/B Testing
Tools
Figma, Miro
Introduction
I worked with the Path UX team in the digital pathology space to simplify the laboratory workflow process of histologists & pathologists.
8 months flew by so quickly. Instead of working on a specific project, I was lucky enough to be allowed to work as a UX generalist, identifying and solving issues from the very beginning.
While working on the design system of a project within Vantage, I identified that there was an issue in the order management portal of Vantage, which was the first step in the laboratory process.
Problem
The Order Entry Portal hasn’t been updated in over a decade. The technology used in pathology labs has evolved since then and the types of cases managed by pathologists has also increased.
Research showed that the error rate increased by 5% while creating a case. Combine this with an average case creation time of 20 minutes, it was a big deal. The experience of the software impacted businesses like small laboratories and put unnecessary pressure on the pathologists.
As patients, we deserve to have good healthcare. So how could we expect that if our pathologists had such bad user experience with the tools they've been given to work with?  
Solution overview and Impact
Reduced error rate and time on task by 30% by improving the data visualization.
Increase in user satisfaction by 60% by eliminating misleading labels and restructuring site architecture.
As the lead designer, I was responsible for:
  • Conducting project discovery including user interviews to understand personas, tasks and workflows.
  • Created prototypes and wireframes to communicate with project managers and engineers.
  • Created mockups using existing design system and redesigned elements such as 'pills'.
  • Validating prototypes through user testing.
View full process deck
Other projects #1
Creating storyboarding guidelines
Designers on the team wasted time creating storyboards from scratch. I created a set of frequently used characters and devices into components so designers could just drag and drop them into a scene to create faster storyboards .
While waiting for user feedback or between testing sessions, I helped other designers on my team communicate with stakeholders by creating storyboards. I also realized that there was no existing design pattern for creating these storyboards and designers wasted countless hours in creating new storyboards every single time.  
Other projects #2
Visual Design - Dark Mode UI  
I also worked on the visual design of the existing Advanced Search Portal. The stakeholders wanted to introduce a dark mode feature.  I focused on working with the designer to not only establish a visual style guide but also ask questions about the features surrounding the product. I wanted to understand the product from the ground up .
Reflection and learnings
Communicating with others
A lot of the work I had worked on involved ambiguity, justifying the need for a redesign of the older, existing product. This challenged me to learn to break down complex ideas into easily understandable concepts and adapt my storytelling based on my audience. I realized that everyone in the company came from different backgrounds and had to structure my presentations based on who was in the ”room”.
Seeking daily feedback
Let’s face it, everything happens slowly in the pharmaceutical industry! I had to be proactive about setting meetings whether it was with stakeholders or with histologists to test my ideas. I also learnt to test my ideas with my team and use their experiences to build a prototype. This helped me understand others while regularly sharing my work and talking through my process.
Seeking data by myself   
The phrase 'designers don’t always get the complete information they need' strongly resonated with me. I had to constantly reach out to people in various departments to find the missing puzzle pieces. By the end of the internship, I learnt that there is never the right time and built the confidence to ask the big questions.
Embracing the adventure  
I jumped into a new space (pathology).
Learnt how to work in a regulated industry.
Met inspiring people who have pushed me to think in new ways.
Developed interactions and realized the impact that the smallest of changes can create on the user.