Informatics
“We believe this
[business outcome] will be
achieved if [these users] successfully [attain this user outcome] with [this feature].”
Specific UX techniques are then employed to evaluate and test (see Figure 4, ‘testing’) what has been designed with real users, as early as possible. This increases engagement rates and uptake of new tools because the product hasn’t been shoe-horned into an existing process. Instead, it dovetails with good design decisions along the way.
Challenges for venturing further into UX for life science R&D It is possible for the drug discovery operation to become truly UX design-capable, but there are a few specific hurdles in this environment.
Poor awareness of the role of UX design in life science R&D
When UX design is new to an organisation, there can be misconceptions about what it is, and how it benefits the business. If senior decision-makers in the organisation do not value it, it will not garner the attention it needs25.
UX design may be perceived as an ‘idea-gener- ating exercise’, rather than a problem-solving approach. Staff may mistakenly assume that ‘UX’ and ‘user interface’ (UI) are the same thing. UX may be seen as something done at the end of soft- ware development, rather than a life-cycle pro- cess. The UX team may only be asked for com- ment post-interface design, coming back with a
short critical report, stifling any future collabora- tion. In reality, “UX is about the arrow hitting its target, it is not about how beautiful the arrow looks.”26 This message needs to be communicat- ed and internalised.
Stakeholder buy-in for UX in life science R&D Managers must realise that the design of products and services for internal R&D scientists is business critical. Good design must be incorporated into everyday processes of R&D, alongside project management, business analysis and operations management. Evidence gained in UX research should influence decision-making and override existing norms – this can be a challenge for entrenched leadership.
Managers should undertake a ‘UX capabilities assessment’27 to independently gauge their organi- sation’s UX maturity. Questions to ask include: is UX considered in horizon planning? Is there bud- get for UX when a new solution is being devel- oped, an existing one is being redesigned or a new IT solution procured?
Creating the right organisational culture for UX in life science R&D
Life-science R&D IT is generally regarded as a cost centre rather than an important opportunity to add business value and to differentiate. This mindset may also explain why UX has been over- looked in life science R&D. It is rare for designers to rise up the echelons of senior management. For UX to have influence, leaders must have already
Figure 7 Strengths of the UX team
Drug Discovery World Summer 2017
61
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72