October 2015 – February 2016
University of Wuppertal, Strategic Innovation in Products and Services
Collaboration with Miltenyi Biotec
The biotechnology company Miltenyi Biotec is the leading provider of sample preparation, magnetic cell separation and cell analysis products. The instruments are used for cellular biology, immunology and clinical tasks.
The work was focused on the development of a product extension strategy, which can be applied to Miltenyi Biotec’s next generation of gentleMACS instruments. Additional product and service concepts were created, supporting the development of the new instrument and extending its ecosystem.
Development of a strategy
The project started out with an extensive research, both company internal and external, in order to get an overview of the product portfolio, user and market. By utilizing the gained knowledge, a strategy for product extension and development was created. The strategy was used to incorporate new features into an existing product line and to plan the next generation. The goal was to identify, among others, unique selling points and new business models.
First the customer journey was mapped out in order to identify potentials for the new strategy, product functions and accessories. Then a business model canvas was created in order to understand the value chain. After close investigation of all the known factors, the newly found strategy has been adopted to create a modular product system.
Once the strategy was agreed upon, I began a formal design process in close collaboration with the companies engineering department – from sketches, to prototypes. An overhaul of the functional and ergonomic aspects was equally as important, as creating a new look for the newest member of the product-line, in order to make the new technology stand out at the first glance.
In addition to redesigning the hardware, the device’s interface was also completely redesigned. The user experience was fully updated and the interface was heavily decluttered – fusing the physical and digital touchpoints of the device into one seamless experience.
A number of additional concepts resulted from the project, involving lab equipment, device accessories, packaging and marketing material, as well as Miltenyi Connect – a companion app for programming and automating lab devices and managing supplies.
