Sysmex: Delphic LIS
Redesigning and rebuilding an industry-leading Lab Information System
Role
I lead the research, built customer personas, and produced low-fi wireframes, working with Edition Studios here in Auckland.
The Challenge
Industry-leading lab system Delphic is robust, but topheavy and fat with bespoke customisations and tacked-on features. Its ageing codebase is time consuming to support and improve, where speed and accuracy are critical for labs.
Approach
First, we needed to understand in detail how Delphic was being used - what was working well, vs where we could consider changes or tech-led improvements. We conducted in-person research, both with facilities already using Delphic, and one that was in the midst of implementing it.
- We discovered that time was lost to small customisations required to make the LIS familiar to staff, and consistent with other hospital systems before and after the lab journey. Sysmex was struggling to deliver these quickly, and Lab managers wanted more control over "surface level" formatting and language.
- Delphic offers many shortcuts for lab workers - keyboard shortcuts, scanning QR codes, etc. - however, these were not always obvious, and new or junior staff needed better visibility of these to maximise efficiency.
- There was very little appetite for bleeding-edge technical solutions; many labs simply do not have the resources for technical upgrades, and value reliability over innovation.
We focussed on customisation, to take the onus off of Sysmex support staff and give lab Managers ownership of the LIS, and left the tried-and-tested sample logging process unchanged.
Impact
The team at Sysmex felt empowered to build from Edition Studios' designs, and to validate with user testing along the way. They reported that the customers we spoke with were already describing Delphic as "easier to use", and seemed friendlier and more forgiving. Giving customers ownership over surface customisation should take a huge burden off Sysmex support staff.