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Résumé

Microscope Image Capture App UI Redesign

Microscope Image Capture App UI Redesign

Modernized & simplified oocyte & embryo image capture application for IVF labs

Modernized & simplified oocyte & embryo image capture application for IVF labs

Project role

Lead Designer

Target users

Clinical embryologists

Methods

UX & UI Design
Visual Design
User Testing

Subject matter

AI, healthcare,

fertility, IVF

Timeframe

2025

Embryologist in clinic lab taking pictures of mature eggs (oocytes) - before redesign

Background

Embryologists capture images in tight windows, often while juggling multiple tasks and working under lab constraints (gloves, variable lighting, intermittent network). Our previous capture flow made the job harder than it needed to be: too many steps, status that wasn’t always obvious, and quality checks that happened after the fact. The result was a noticeable number of retakes and a subset of images that weren’t consistently usable by downstream AI models. We also saw confusion around patient/sample matching when clinics were busy, and the UI didn’t adapt well to different hardware setups at the bench.


What we observed


  • Retakes and “did this save?” uncertainty, especially at peak times

  • Inconsistent focus/exposure/framing leading to lower “model-usable” rates

  • Occasional sample mismatches when labels were similar or when staff were rotating

  • Network hiccups causing silent failures; no clear local queue/retry path

Co-creation and pain point mapping from previous report version to inform redesign efforts
Co-creation and pain point mapping from previous report version to inform redesign efforts

Capture App — Before Redesign

Targeted A/B user testing with different concepts to hone in on the final design
Targeted A/B user testing with different concepts to hone in on the final design

Capture App — After Redesign

Approach

We treated the project like a safety-critical workflow upgrade rather than a surface-level UI polish. I interviewed internal and external embryologists and simulated workflows to build a baseline understanding of use cases and improvement opportunities, then partnered with our development and clinical teams to define what “good” looks like—both for lab operations and overall usability.


From there we reframed the capture as a guided, single-purpose flow: one clear button to take a picture of an oocyte, with real-time quality hints that help without getting in the way. We also introduced a dark theme, full screen mode, and a streamlined assessment creation workflow, among other modernization improvements. Throughout delivery & testing we ran in agile sprints, piloted behind a feature flag in test clinics, followed by broader general availability to our 150+ clinics gobally.

Co-creation and pain point mapping from previous report version to inform redesign efforts
Co-creation and pain point mapping from previous report version to inform redesign efforts

Discovery script & Dovetail-assisted synthesis

Targeted A/B user testing with different concepts to hone in on the final design
Targeted A/B user testing with different concepts to hone in on the final design

Co-creation & feedback cycles using Figjam

Updated UX/UI for online portal for embryologists to download and share assessments with clinicians and patients
Updated UX/UI for online portal for embryologists to download and share assessments with clinicians and patients

Fast & furious iteration cycles in close collaboration with embryologists

From design to development

Design to dev & QA

What began as a UI polish became a workflow redesign. We turned the prototype into production via the use of Cursor / Claude Code-powered development cycles, paired with JIRA specs & UI specification annotations to ensure clarity in requirements. Agile sprints, iterative user acceptance testing rounds, and pilot clinic feedback let us ship confidently, then scale across our broader clinic network.

AI-powered localization coupled with human reviews to translate into 5 different languages
AI-powered localization coupled with human reviews to translate into 5 different languages

User workflow & opportunity mapping

AI-powered localization coupled with human reviews to translate into 5 different languages
AI-powered localization coupled with human reviews to translate into 5 different languages

UI components & development specifications

Updated UX/UI for online portal for embryologists to download and share assessments with clinicians and patients
Updated UX/UI for online portal for embryologists to download and share assessments with clinicians and patients

Refreshed assessment creation workflow

AI-powered localization coupled with human reviews to translate into 5 different languages
AI-powered localization coupled with human reviews to translate into 5 different languages

Simplified viewport redesign

Co-creation and pain point mapping from previous report version to inform redesign efforts
Co-creation and pain point mapping from previous report version to inform redesign efforts

Decluttered UI focusing on picture taking

Targeted A/B user testing with different concepts to hone in on the final design
Targeted A/B user testing with different concepts to hone in on the final design

New dark theme for better night contrast

Impact

This is newly being released so more feedback to come! But internally, our embryology team is very happy with the simplified and modernized user interface.

© 2025 | Justin Kirkey | All Rights Reserved