OVERVIEW
TIMELINE
Nov '20 - Jan '21
ROLE
Lead researcher for Version 2
EquipMe is an equipment reservation tool that allows research scientists at Thomas Jefferson University as well as other researchers, to share equipment available at different research labs. The project was initiated by the Offices of Research Support Services at Jefferson.
TEAM
- Sarika Joglekar
- Nanci Gonzalez (Co-led
research)
- Victoria Gulick (Researcher
- Nicole Herbst (Project
Manager)
- Service Now development
team
RESEARCH METHODS
Interviewing, Task analysis, Usability testing, Card sorting
This web app is designed to simplify sharing of equipment by
-
Providing a single reservation system for scheduling equipment use.
-
Putting a more formalized and traceable sharing system in place.
-
Improving record-keeping and promoting accountability for high-value assets.
THE PROBLEM
The existing equipment reservation process is manual and leads to coordination difficulties. There was no tool available to reserve or track the equipment used by researchers within the labs.
-
Limited access to equipment: Access to lab equipment and resources is limited due to the unavailability of a platform that can display, book and manage reservations.
-
Lack of revenue: There is no revenue generation because of a disorganized system.
The goal of Equipe (V2) was to enhance the reservation experience and expand usage to more Jefferson labs. This will help to further streamline the reservation process, create transparency in equipment available throughout the university, support tracking utilization, document billing, and generate revenue.
Our system is manual, but it has worked for us but it is not helpful for a long queue, and people waiting. So this platform is good. It may be too much for our operation right now, but in the future, once requests increase we will need it.
- Dr. SAARP
RESEARCH
*This project turned remote due to the pandemic so we transitioned to remote interviews and inquiry.
Thomas Jefferson University houses a variety of shared resources for its faculty and staff. These assets include in-house statisticians, a bio-printing laboratory, several clinical research labs, and a cancer genomics and bioinformatics core.
All the labs and service centers at Jefferson can be found here.
With the help of stakeholders, we identified 6 labs across Jefferson that currently offer access to researchers and have the potential to generate revenue. We then classified it based on their working model and the nature of research that is conducted there.
Drop-offs
Labs where samples are collected and stored for running experiments. This might include analysis support from a facilitator.
Example: Metabolomics
Self Service
These labs have equipment that can be used without any guidance or facilitator.
Example: FlexStation
Assisted self service
These labs require samples to be brought but not stored in the lab. It will require assistance from the facilitator.
Example: Small Animal Molecular Imaging
There are three types of labs that exist
Who are the users?
INTERVIEWING & CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY
Understanding the scheduling, processes, pricing structures, user flows
In order to build a successful solution, we needed to understand how EquipMe can address and alleviate any gaps in the existing processes at the labs. These interviews aimed to uncover daily operations, scheduling considerations, and equipment function.
MAPPING UNIQUE PROCESSES
After conducting the interviews we realized that every lab functioned differently and it was important to understand their individual process in order to filter down their scheduling requirements. Our inquiry focused on:
-
How do different roles work within the lab setting?
-
How does the research equipment work?
-
What aspects of the process might impact scheduling, pricing, etc?
-
What are the current challenges?
We mapped out the journeys for each lab to understand how it affects the reservations made, sample processing, and analysis time.
We identified that there are common themes within each lab.
Schedule, pricing management
All labs have different requirements for scheduling
and pricing models based on factors like machine usage, materials, staff support, etc.
"Pricing should be based on liquid nitrogen use, but that will require extra work from staff to measure out and monitor
- Dr. Fertala, Lab Manager
Consultation and training requirements
Different labs have training and consultation needs and often require assistance throughout equipment usage. This determines the time and pricing.
"Short training needed for new users. but you still have to do the actual process with them at least for the first time. So we need some kind of a hybrid approach."
- Dr. Cingolani, Lab Owner
Machine processing and analysis duration
The processing time for running samples as well as time required for analysis of data directly affects how scheduling is done.
"For data analysis, people cannot do that unless they understand the software and have spent time learning it"
- Hoora, Lab Operator
OPTIMIZING EXPERIENCE FOR END USERS
Mapping out the logic, finding themes, and validating user flows
Our biggest challenge was to consolidate our findings and develop a single reservation flow for all labs. We wanted to simplify the process while also accommodating the unique needs of each research lab.
GOALS
*We were unable to recruit any investigators due to timeline and availability constraints so we continued to validate our analysis with stakeholders.
-
Validate if unique lab requirements are met within the structure we mapped out.
-
Validate if the user flow would work for reserving equipment
We went through several rounds of discussions with the lab owners and managers in order to ensure that their needs were met. At this stage, we started dabbling with existing designs and working on redesigning the new user flows.
VISUAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Designing the reservation form, designing a form to 'add new equipment', development collaboration
We started with the EquipMe design that was currently in use and initiated enhancements based on new research findings.
GOALS
The focus was to work on the logic we mapped out and see if it seamlessly fits into the design. We also initiated conversations with developers to account for ServiceNow implementation requirements and feasibility.
-
Update equipment reservation form
-
Design investigator view & lab manager view
-
Design an 'Add new Equipment' request form
We designed for two main user groups and the tasks they are expected to perform.
Designing for investigators/researchers
-
Reserve equipment
-
Schedule training, consultation or sample drop off
-
Make payments
-
Cancel reservations
Designing for lab owner/manager/operators
-
Manage reservations: Approve/cancel
-
Approve payments
-
Block time: If overbooked or priority research needs
-
Manage equipment: Add/edit/remove
Having this booking system available is great, I think it will increase usage and make people more aware of our instrument, which is always a good idea. People could utilize it and discover new things
- Dr. Andrzej Fertala (Lab Owner and Biomet Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery)
Total revenue as of July 2022 is
$133,046
Total number of reservations are 991
11 research labs onboarded successfully
NEXT STEPS
*I stepped away as the lead researcher at the end of Jan 2021, when it went into development. As of Dec 2022, EquipMe is still undergoing further improvements.
-
The last sprint focused on testing the process with live cards to ensure payments are appearing correctly and funds are being properly routed back to TJU Accounts.
-
Ongoing discussions for adding more labs as well as opening reservations for external clients.
