Cell therapy instrument software

Instrument control UI

Role: Lead Product Designer, Instrument UI
Duration: Multi-phase engagement
Product: Desktop instrument control software
Focus: Usability in regulated environments, UI consistency, cognitive load reduction

Instrument status during a run: temperatures, gas levels, fluid readings and valve states on one screen.

Overview

This project improved the interface of a fully automated, closed-system instrument used in cell and gene therapy manufacturing. The system runs highly customized protocols under strict regulatory, safety and reliability requirements.

At Strata, I designed the improved control interface that operators use during live manufacturing runs. The goals were a modern UI, clearer screens during critical steps, and the same look and behaviour as the rest of the client's software.

Problem

The platform was technically solid, but the instrument UI showed years of small additions:

Related software tools looked and behaved differently
Dense screens with little hierarchy
System state and operator intent were not always clear
More to think about than necessary during long or complex runs

Because the environment is regulated, changes had to be incremental, defensible and consistent with how operators already understood the system.

The protocol information panel, with every group and step in one list.

Key decision

I changed how the screens read, not what operators do.

The workflows on live instruments were already validated, so I left them alone. The work went into hierarchy and feedback: standard layouts and components, a clear difference between configuring, running and monitoring, and alerts and confirmations that are harder to misread.

Approach

The work was about clarity, restraint and consistency. I did not introduce new workflows. The principles:

Respect the validated workflows already running on live instruments
Cut the noise at critical moments
Standardize patterns across the software ecosystem
Balance customization with predictability

I made design decisions together with product and engineering, with regulatory and technical constraints in view the whole time.

Editing a protocol on the instrument: the step list beside the selected step's settings.

Solution

The redesigned UI has a clearer structure and tells the operator more plainly what the system is doing.

Standard patterns

Standard layouts, spacing and component behaviour
A clear difference between configuration, execution and monitoring

System state and feedback

Clearer hierarchy for run status, progress and next actions
Clearer alerts, warnings and confirmations
Less doubt about what the operator did and how the system responded

Ecosystem alignment

The same look and behaviour as the related desktop and cloud tools

I revised the designs through regular reviews to fit technical and regulatory realities.

An operator message step, built from the same layout and components as every other step.

A parameter graph for CO2, with coloured bands marking periods along the timeline.

Outcome

One coherent UI across the product ecosystem
Screens that are easier to read during a live run
Clearer communication of system state and operator actions
A UI foundation that can take new platforms and protocols

The redesigned interface left operators with less to interpret during critical steps.

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