Streamlining Lab Management with Labby
Optimizing lab task workflows by replacing fragmented tools with an integrated management system
Role
Timeline
Tools
Sep 2022 - Apr 2023
Figma, Trello, Figjam
About the MAPCore Lab @ BC Cancer
Our stakeholder, the Molecular and Advanced Pathology Core (MAPcore) facility aims to use new scientific methods to better understand diseases and improve treatments for patients in hospitals and clinics. They offer various histology and histochemistry services that can be booked by clients and other hospital facilities.
About UBC LaunchPad
UBC Launch Pad is a student-run software engineering club at the University of British Columbia. It provides a collaborative environment for students to develop software projects, apply technical skills, and gain experience with industry-standard tools :)
📌 Problem Discovery
Lab members faced a disjointed setup when handling lab requests. The process was spread across multiple platforms:
Qualtrics for request submissions
Excel for tracking and managing tasks
Word for generating invoices
This fragmentation led to:
Increased errors due to manual data entry and switching between tools.
Longer processing times as lab members coordinated across different systems.
Challenges in tracking request statuses, leading to miscommunications and inefficiencies.
Understanding the end users
To understand user pain points, interviews were conducted with both lab members (who handled tasks) and external lab requesters (who submitted requests) as well as meetings with the lab manager, our stakeholder. The research revealed:
Lab members described the process as time-consuming and prone to mistakes, requiring constant coordination between separate systems.
External requesters had little visibility into their request status after submission. They relied on emails or manual follow-ups, leading to delays and miscommunication.
User Archetypes
Based on the research, three key user archetypes emerged:
The Task-Oriented Lab Technician 🛠️
Needs: A structured workflow for managing incoming lab requests efficiently.
Pain Points: Spends too much time switching between Excel, Qualtrics, and Word.
Design Influence: A centralized ticketing system that consolidates requests, assignments, and status tracking into one dashboard.
The Lab Manager & Coordinator 📊
Needs: Clear oversight of all ongoing tasks and the ability to assign them to team members.
Pain Points: Difficulty tracking work progress across multiple systems; needs a way to ensure tasks are completed on time.
Design Influence: A dashboard view with task status indicators, workload distribution insights, and automatic notifications when tasks are completed or overdue.
The External Lab Service Requester 📝
Needs: A simple, intuitive way to submit requests and track their progress.
Pain Points: No visibility into request status after submission, leading to unnecessary follow-ups.
Design Influence: A request tracking page where users can see updates on their submitted requests without needing to contact lab members.
Problem Statement
How might we automate and integrate the service request management process at MAPcore to eliminate inefficiencies caused by the use of multiple applications?
Analyzing pre-existing solutions
We looked at STARLIMS, Sunquest, and thermo scientific, but found them unsatisfactory. We found that most existing LIMS (Laboratory information management system) software were not only inflexible and costly but also failed to support custom client cost settings.
Add images or chart here of the competitive analysis between pre-existing solutions
Solution
Labby replaces the fragmented workflow with an all-in-one lab management platform that:
✅ Integrates request submission – A built-in survey builder replaces Qualtrics, allowing users to submit lab requests directly within the system.
✅ Automates ticketing – Submitted requests are automatically converted into trackable tickets in a centralized dashboard.
✅ Improves task management – Lab members can assign requests, track statuses, and ensure timely completions.
✅ Simplifies invoicing – Auto-generates invoices based on completed tasks, reducing administrative work.
Impact & Future Projections
While Labby has yet to be fully implemented, its projected benefits include:
More efficient workflows – Eliminating redundant steps and manual coordination.
Reduced errors – Minimizing inconsistencies caused by switching between tools.
Improved tracking – Giving lab members and requesters better oversight of task progress.
Takeaways & Next Steps
Labby demonstrates how consolidating fragmented workflows can significantly improve operational efficiency. Moving forward, further user testing and iterative improvements will refine the platform to maximize its impact.
