About the project

ObvioTec AG is a Swiss-based tech company based on a multigenerational team of R&D, Data Scientists, Pharma Quality Control Specialists and Engineers working on advanced laboratory techniques that improve pharmaceutical quality control. 

The company offers a quality control system that is both fast and precise by using advanced terahertz-spectroscopy and -imaging technology. The system enables measurement through packaging, generating an obvioTec "fingerprint" for each product. With immediate validation against the product reference, the system ensures the highest level of quality control.

What our client needed?

The new method could use a customised software solution that would decrease the team's time spent on monotonous, repetitive tasks and utilise it where staff's scientific knowledge and experience are needed.

The company aimed to optimise the process by automation & connecting together the work of devices that take measurements, allowing for a faster and more efficient quality control process.

How did we help to approach it? 

The aim of our cooperation was to build a Proof of Concept showing that we could create a centralised system connecting multiple laboratory stations and automate their processes. Moreover, it had to prove that we would be able to manage it remotely. We visited our client in Switzerland to perform in-house user research and workshops (part of the Software Product Design) and get to know obvioTec's everyday work better.

The whole process was divided into 3 steps:

1. Being in Switzerland allowed us to perform more complex user research (including user observations and interviews with a team). In the meantime, our technical experts constructed a Proof of Concept for the technical part of the solution. 

2. Then we focused on workshops needed to define the necessary functionalities of the system. That included process discovery (using the Event Storming approach) as well as user experience.

3. After returning to Poland, we proceeded with after-workshop work in both design and technical areas to deliver the outcomes.

One of the focuses was to scan many samples at once or to scan one sample in many positions. We helped to code a procedure for precise positioning and data taking that automated the measurement procedure, which meant the person on that laboratory station wouldn't have to move samples manually to make multiple images.

We were happy to give consultations on any code improvements whenever we could.

We communicated via Slack, emails & (google) Meet. The cooperation process was managed in Jira by Kanban methodology and documented in Confluence.

What was delivered?

• Proof of Concept with all details on coordinating such a project from our side, which also included a showcase that proved that it is possible to manage lab devices from the Python code remotely from our office in Katowice, Poland.

• Product Design consisting of:
  - List of Functionalities
  - Information Architecture
  - Workshop Report
  - Wireframe Project
  - UI Design Proposal  

• Technical Consultations that enhanced the quality of the code and resulted in process improvement. The software currently runs scripts in a streamlined way.

Also, in our client's own words, we provided excellent project management:

"Sandra has been extremely helpful and accommodating and was able to set up all of the meetings in a very short time frame. She's always available to take calls, take notes, and send summaries of meetings, regardless of how technical they are. We used Slack, Confluence, and Jira." 

Dr. Martti Nirkko, obvioTec