Incubation monitoring system for regenerative medicine

Client: Olympus

Industry: Science

Year: 2016-2021

My roles: Project lead, Service design, Communication design, UX design, Interaction design 

Introduction

Context

An innovative concept for breakthrough

Olympus is a leading manufacturer of microscopes for life science with over 100 years of experience. 

As the microscope business had been reaching its limit, Olympus looked for an innovative product to break through. 

At that time, a small team in the scientific solution division was developing an incubation monitoring system. The system supports researchers to grow cells for their experiments in a much smarter way, disrupting conventional ways which require a lot of time and effort. It had the potential to innovate in regenerative medicine. 

Challenge

Lack of digital design capability

The Olympus team struggled to design software for the incubation monitoring system. Digital user experience is a key to their success; researchers operate monitoring and check data online. But, the team didn’t have the capability for digital design. 

And, the team also had the challenge to convince internal stakeholders. Most of them didn’t believe in the potential of the system. The team needed to not only develop the system but also communicate its value internally. 

Olympus required a team of designers who could build a high-quality digital user experience and support effective communication for internal stakeholders. 

5-year collaboration to make innovation happen

We have worked with the scientific solution division from Olympus for 5 years, supporting the team to bring the incubation monitoring system to market. We had 8 diverse projects including UX design, digital design, strategy creation, and video production. 

Project

1st project

Develop primary incubation monitoring UI 

  • Create information architecture

  • Build low-fidelity wireframes

2nd project

Define opportunity space for future business

  • Interview internal stakeholders

  • Make an infographic poster

3rd project

Refine value proposition

  • Make a service brochure

4th project

Produce a promotional video

  • Create a script and storyboard

  • Support filming and editing

5th project

Develop a microscope scanner concept

  • Define value proposition

  • Explore features and opportunity space

6th project

Advance incubation monitoring UI

  • Refine information architecture

  • Make an InVision prototype

7th project

Develop a cloud platform concept

  • Define value proposition

  • Prototype a service landing page

8th project

Design user experience for the cloud platform

  • Define user journey, information architecture, and style guide

  • Build an XD prototype

 

Approach

Learn from scratch 

We aren’t science researchers. So, we had a lot to catch up on. 

We started with learning about biology experiments and examined researcher experience. We analyzed existing pain points in the cell culture process and explored how the system can provide effective support through online and offline touch points. 

Co-create everything

Long-term collaboration requires not only commitment but also alliance. We worked with the Olympus stakeholders as one team. 

We had countless workshops across all projects. We shared, assessed, and discussed our design together all the time. We also interviewed stakeholders to understand their organizations and vision. These interviews helped make our design more viable and sustainable. 

Tell a persuasive story 

Innovation requires influence and persuasion. Internal communication was a key to launching the incubation monitoring system in Olympus. 

We worked on communication materials explaining what is the system, how it works, and why Olympus needs to bring it to market. We focused on building a convincing story to align and inspire internal stakeholders.  

Outcome

Value proposition

We defined a value proposition for the incubation monitoring system to enhance the innovative product and support its overall development. 

Communication materials

We produced communication materials to introduce the incubation monitoring system internally, empowering stakeholders to understand its value and support the service development. 

Promotional video

Opportunity map poster

Service brochure

Digital experience

We developed and iterated a web application prototype, learning by trial and error to build an effective and efficient user experience for the incubation monitoring system. 

Result

Service launch and several awards

The incubation monitoring system was launched in January 2020 as Provi CM20 in global markets. Since the launch, customers have given glowing reviews. 

And, the service received several awards including The Edison Awards, Good Design Award, and Most Valuable CEO Award in Olympus. 

This is a big breakthrough. Now, Olympus starts to develop future business from the incubation monitoring system. 

 

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