Hi everyone,
I'm a designer with a background in biomedical sciences, and I'm working on a UX case study for a fictional LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) focused on molecular diagnostics and genomics labs.
Before I start designing anything, I want to make sure I actually understand the real pain points — not just what I assume from my academic background.
I'd love to hear from anyone working in clinical genetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, or general lab settings:
1. What does your current sample tracking workflow look like day-to-day? Is it digital, paper-based, or a mix?
2. What's the most frustrating part of the system you currently use — whether it's a LIMS, a spreadsheet, or anything else?
3. When something goes wrong with a sample (wrong ID, lost in transit between sectors, delayed result), how does your team handle it?
4. If you work with NGS or variant analysis: is your variant classification workflow integrated into your LIMS, or do you do it separately (ClinVar, spreadsheets, etc.)?
5. What's one thing you wish your current system did that it doesn't?
I'm not selling anything — just trying to design something that reflects how labs actually work, not how we imagine they work. Any insight, even small, is genuinely useful.
Thanks in advance.