At Pathcore, I was tasked with designing a new collaborative feature for remote pathologists to analyze multiple images simultaneously. This feature is live and played a key role in the product's v3.0 release. I led the user experience and interface design for this critical feature, ensuring it met the needs of remote pathologists.
Company: Pathcore
Role: Product designer
Team: Engineering lead, developers, and project manager
Platform: Web
Sector: Healthcare
Pathologists were unable to analyze groups of images side-by-side on our platform which is important in their workflow. This gap in functionality hindered our ability to attract new customers and support research teams among existing clients.
Launched a responsive web app feature that streamlined multi-image analysis for pathologists to evaluate the safety profiles of promising pharmaceuticals. This improvement contributed to a 117% YoY growth in 2022 and drove greater adoption among research teams.
In terms of scope, our goal was to merge existing features whose components provided a strong foundation for multi-image analysis. By building on these existing structures, we were able to extend their capabilities without reinventing the wheel.
To understand the challenges faced by pathologists and ensure the new feature addressed their needs, I analyzed feedback from customer meetings based on their experience of accessing multiple images on Figure Maker and analyzing images in the Viewer. I also reviewed flagged support tickets to identify recurring pain points.
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At the start of the project, I received specifications outlining the technical requirements for split view. While considering these specifications, I also defined design principles based on user research to address key user needs.
How can we ensure pathologists could efficiently review images without adding clutter to their workflow?
Pathologists initially struggled to locate annotation tools. Below are variations of image-specific tool placements to improve visibility and acessibility explored through quick sketches.
How does each action in the Viewer translate to Split View to maintain a seamless workflow?
A key feature for split view was adding multiple images to the Viewer. We explored different approaches, including drop down menu, modal, and context menu. Context menu was ultimately chosen for its flexibility, allowing users to perform multi-actions directly without compromising screen space.
5+ customer meetings and prototype walkthroughs with pathologists and researchers which helped to uncover usability gaps and prioritize feature enhancements.
Customer Acquisition: Split View increased in customer acquisition, contributing to YoY of 117% increase in 2022.
User Feedback: Pathologists reported improved efficiency and satisfaction with the ability to navigate folders, annotate images, and view multiple slides simultaneously.
Adoption Rates: A marked increase in PathcoreFlow usage by research teams.
The new layout was designed using existing components from Figure Maker into The Viewer. To maximize image viewing space while enhancing functionality, layout tools were placed in the top bar, while image-specific tools were positioned directly above each image.
The toolbar appears only when the user hovers over an image. The image lock tool serves as a primary function, while users can expand the toolbar to access all available tools.
A list view was added for slide selection, allowing users to see more images at once. Additionally, hovering over image names reveals labels, helping users differentiate between images with similar names.
Walkthrough of Split View
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For next steps, making this feature fully keyboard-accessible would further enhance efficiency, allowing pathologists to complete their work more quickly.
Through the exploration of multiple design variations, this project highlighted the importance of maintaining organized internal feedback documentation. It provided a clear point of reference for the rationale behind design changes.
Made with ❤️ by Becky Zhang