Walking through the design process of a friendlier, more efficient UI for taking tube scans.
The Accessioning Team uses a machine called a “Kaabot” to take images of every sample we receive. The problem is the “Kaabot” takes 5 seconds per sample and the UI is not user friendly. New, faster machines are being created called “Mirages”. I have developed a prototype of a new interface that takes into account the accessioners’ pain points, while increasing our efficiency.
One of the Accessioning Team’s most common problems is samples going on hold because of poor tube scans (be it blurry or missing an identifier). If these changes are implemented, it would greatly reduce our error rate and increase the speed at which we can accession.
1. LIVE VIEW
There is a toggle button at the bottom of the menu that allows the user to disable/enable live view of inside the imager. The previous “Kaabots” did not have live view and required 5 seconds to take the pictures. This feature is particularly helpful as it aids the accessioner with more accurate positioning of the sample when it is inside the imager.
2. ROTATE IMAGE
There is a “rotate image” feature underneath the image window that allows the user to flip the image. This is helpful as accessioners often encounter labels and text written in different orientations.
3. CAPTURE IMAGE BUTTON
The “Capture Image” button is large and gives confirmation that the image was successfully captured. The previous “Kaabots” did not give confirmation the image was captured.
Additionally, The IB # input field and text are a lot bigger. Many people on the accessioning team mentioned they often use the touch screen to tap that text box, so having it a lot larger would be helpful as the previous input field is rather small.
4. SAVE IMAGE BUTTON
The “Save Image” button is significantly bigger. On the current “Kaabots”, the “Calibrate” button is directly under the save button and they’re both the same size. Often times, accessioners will accidentally hit “Calibrate” instead of “Save”. So having the “Save” button be more prominent was widely requested by the team.
The “Save Image” button turns green giving confirmation that the image has been successfully saved when a valid IB# has been inputted, ensuring less holds for missing tube scans.
If there is an error, for example, there was no IB# inputted but the user tried to save the image, the button would turn red and display the error message.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
These are some simple, yet effective UI changes that would greatly benefit the accessioning team’s speed and reduce error rates for missing/blurry tube scans. The spacing and sizing of certain elements takes into account the work space of the accessioner, accounting for the touch screen and shrinked windows. With our constantly increasing sample size, it is crucial the team implements ways we can accession faster in order to help out our patients.
