Ontera is a DNA diagnostic company based in Santa Cruz, CA. They asked us to help them design a device for their nanopore-based DNA testing platform. Unlike traditional methodologies Ontera performs rapid molecular diagnostics closer to the point of need without having to send samples to a distant lab where results can take days and be cost prohibitive. Ontera required a solution that felt portable, protected and user friendly in diverse environments from an agricultural field office to a more formal diagnostics lab.
When applied to the Brazilian soy bean market, Ontera's Nanodetector device could be used to 400 times a day! Ontera asked us to think through the device's GUI experience that could facilitate that type of capacity. Additionally, Ontera provided us with insights about the user. Often users running these tests are Portuguese speakers, not highly educated and work in unorganized spaces.
