Combining Usability with Strategic Modernization

The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab (TVMDL) embarked on a mission to modernize their lab data tracking applications, specifically focusing on improving the user experience for both internal and external stakeholders. The project aimed to streamline workflows, enhance usability, and ensure that the systems in place could meet the future needs of the organization while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards.

TVMDL faced challenges with outdated systems that were not only cumbersome but also difficult to maintain. The existing lab data tracking applications, primarily DocFlo, had usability issues and lacked formal documentation. This made it challenging for users, ranging from veterinarians to lab technicians, to efficiently navigate the system, leading to delays and errors in processing critical diagnostic information.

The Approach

Our team conducted a comprehensive assessment focused on user experience and system usability, which included:

• Heuristic Review: We performed an in-depth heuristic review of the DocFlo system and related digital tools to identify usability issues, workflow inefficiencies, and areas for improvement.
• User Experience Focus: Engaged with a diverse group of users, including veterinarians, lab technicians, and IT personnel, to understand their pain points and gather insights into how the system could better meet their needs. This included assessing user workflows, interface usability, and form factors across various devices.
• Digital Modernization Recommendations: Provided high-level recommendations for modernizing the existing applications to reduce costs, improve maintainability, and enhance cloud operability. These recommendations were aimed at creating a more streamlined and user-friendly process for lab data tracking.

The Result

• Improved Usability: Identified key usability enhancements that could significantly improve the user experience for all stakeholders, including better notifications, streamlined document workflows, and more intuitive interfaces.
• Strategic Roadmap for Modernization: Delivered a roadmap outlining the steps necessary to modernize TVMDL’s lab data tracking systems, ensuring they are scalable, maintainable, and better aligned with user needs.
• Enhanced Workflow Efficiency: Provided recommendations that focused on reducing bottlenecks and improving the overall efficiency of lab workflows, particularly in the areas of document management and data integration.
• User-Centered Design: The focus on user experience ensured that the proposed changes would lead to a more accessible and efficient system, directly benefiting the lab’s ability to deliver timely and accurate diagnostic results.