This brand overview is a work in progress. Please enjoy the sneak preview!
Chai Biotechnologies
Chai’s mission: democratize biotechnology by making premium testing solutions affordable and accessible to anyone.
Chai products were used in 60+ countries and 19 of the world’s Top 20 biomedical research universities.
Context
I was Chai’s founding designer, growing with the company throughout its 8+ year run.
A simple branding and fundraising deck project evolved into a Design Director role as the company steadily expanded and needed design solutions for its software, packaging, and beyond.
Primary Roles
Design Director/Founding Designer
Product Design, UI/UX, Web Design, Advertising, Design Systems
Additional Contributions
Copywriting, Packaging Design, Photo Editing, Presentation Design, Trade Show Materials, Document Formatting
Primary Roles
Product Design
Chai’s flagship product is the Open qPCR thermocycler. It needed a custom solution that matched the feature set of its competitors while making potentially complex experiments simple for anyone to design and run.
Open qPCR Desktop/Tablet App
We started with a native iPad app to streamline development and maximize accessibility. The user-first design and data-visualization-inspired presentation helped users better visualize their experiment and Chai stand out to less technical users.
Open qPCR Built-In LCD App
The primary design goal for the Open qPCR was to serve as a mobile testing site, able to run experiments on-site with no additional devices required.
A brief case study of the design process is available.
Old Content Below
Context
I was Chai’s founding designer and grew with the company throughout its 8+ year run.
A simple branding and fundraising deck project evolved into a Design Director role as the company grew and needed design solutions for its software, packaging, and beyond.
Primary Roles
Design Director/Founding Designer
Product Design, UI/UX, Web Design, Advertising, Design Systems
Additional Contributions
Copywriting, Packaging Design, Photo Editing, Presentation Design, Trade Show Materials, Document Formatting
Context
I was Chai’s founding designer and grew with the company throughout its 8+ year run.
A simple branding and fundraising deck project evolved into a Design Director role as the company grew and needed design solutions for its software, packaging, and beyond.
Primary Roles
Design Director/Founding Designer
Product Design, UI/UX, Web Design, Advertising, Design Systems
Additional Contributions
Copywriting, Packaging Design, Photo Editing, Presentation Design, Trade Show Materials, Document Formatting
Context
I was Chai’s founding designer and grew with the company throughout its 8+ year run.
A simple branding and fundraising deck project evolved into a Design Director role as the company grew and needed design solutions for its software, packaging, and beyond.
Primary Roles
Design Director/Founding Designer
Product Design, UI/UX, Web Design, Advertising, Design Systems
Additional Contributions
Copywriting, Packaging Design, Photo Editing, Presentation Design, Trade Show Materials, Document Formatting
Chai Biotechnologies
Chai’s mission was to democratize biotechnology by making premium testing solutions affordable and accessible to anyone.
Our products were used in 60+ countries and 19 of the world’s Top 20 biomedical research universities.
Primary Roles
Product Design
Chai’s flagship product is the Open qPCR thermocycler. It needed a softwa solution that matched the feature set of its competitors while making potentially complex experiments simple for anyone to design and run.
Open qPCR Desktop/Tablet App
We started with a native iPad app to streamline development and maximize accessibility. The user-first design and data-visualization-inspired presentation helped users better visualize their experiment and Chai stand out to less technical users.
Approach
Establish Use Cases
The vast majority of users controlled their Open qPCR with the desktop app. We started with a few foundational features to kickoff the MVP build.
Example:
As a user in the field, I want to run a test kit using the built-in LCD so I can run experiments without my computer.
Outline Flows
Breaking down each feature in a simple text outline helps organize screen flows, anticipate obstacles, and note key directions to explore.
Text-Only Wires
Low-fidelity wires are fast;
no-fidelity wires are faster
Showing pure text helps stakeholders focus on the experience without the distraction of unpolished visuals
Low-Fidelity Wires
Once the foundation of the flows have been set, we begin building up visual fidelity, testing interactions, and developing the design system.
Early on-device prototypes showed the screen’s touch capability was limited. We saved days of work by scrapping our swipe and gesture-based concepts in favor of simpler, one-touch inputs.
Visual Polish & Exploration
We chose a mix of high-usage and visually complex screens to start translating the desktop design system to the small screen.
The Experiment In Progress screen is the most viewed screen across all users. It served as a blank canvas to push the visual design and set a standard for the rest of the app.
Results & Takeaways
The app was scheduled for a tight, three-month development cycle and we delivered. Users appreciated the visual upgrades, and were thrilled with the huge increase in standalone functionality.
I’m proud to have designed software that scientists and non-technical people alike can use to get accurate, reliable results.
Open qPCR LCD App
The Chai Open qPCR is a portable, powerful thermocycler designed for use outside traditional laboratories.
We needed a solution that allowed users to run experiments using solely its built-in touch screen.