Providence Genomics

Platform and Website Design + Development

How a solution goes from a beta test to a sustainable product

Background

Part of the Providence healthcare system, Providence Genomics builds cutting-edge programs including prevention, early detection, and therapeutic programs. Providence Genomics is growing quickly, and all efforts are intended to improve patient care using genomics.

Clinical research has complex resource and staffing requirements to support patient recruitment, education, and consent. Traditionally, a study coordinator guides each patient through a potentially complicated informed consent document and answers questions, before obtaining consent to enroll them in the clinical study. Motivated in part by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the Providence Genomics leadership set goals to transfer much of the manual education effort from study coordinators to online content, including recruitment, study descriptions, details about risks and benefits of study participation, actions needed from study participants, and information about the study experience.

Providence owned a technology platform that had been adapted for participant e-consent by affiliated Institute for Systems Biology (ISB). When the COVID pandemic hit, Providence urgently needed to manage e-consent for patient studies while minimizing potential exposures for study staff. Providence and ISB turned to this platform to recruit for several large COVID-19 studies. Following the successful execution of these studies, Providence Genomics recognized an opportunity for the platform to improve processes for several large precision genomics studies that were in the planning stages.

Working together, Providence, ISB, and Genomics teams expanded the platform’s capabilities beyond the COVID-19 study features. These collaborations made the platform more sophisticated, robust, and feature-rich. It was successfully deployed in two ongoing studies (Geno4ME and Galleri), which are lengthy, multi-year studies that engage thousands of patients.

Based on this success, Providence made the decision to further develop the platform for broader use within Genomics, rebranding it as Propel.

“It’s gratifying that other teams looked at what we created through innovative collaborations between developers, designers, and subject matter experts, and saw the value in it. They recognize that Propel meets a need that nothing else meets.”
Andrew Magis, PhD, Director of Data Science at ISB

The Challenge

The enterprise version of the product’s design needed to make it easy for patients, participants, and researchers to engage in research programs. The technical solution needed to be scalable for use by external partners and customers, and it needed to be sustainable so the number of engaged patients accessing genomic data within Providence could be expanded.

The platform needed significant changes to be marketed to new teams internally and externally. Focus areas included security, compliance, and features to ensure the product could support a broad range of use cases. The Genomics team also had to shift its mindset from meeting the needs of specific users to delighting and exceeding expectations of a broader group of customers.

The Solution

Providence needed a technology partner that could understand the strategy and translate it quickly into a working product. Further, Propel needed a brand identity that could introduce the solution and test its story. Kopius* was selected to help Providence transform Propel into a scalable product by introducing engineering capacity, including specialized design and technology skills to the “in flight” solution.

Kopius rapidly rounded out the engineering, design, content, and project management capabilities of the Propel team, and collaborated with Providence and ISB’s technical teams to build the scalable Propel SaaS product and website. Valance capabilities included product ownership, data visualization, and quality assurance.

Kopius provided a nearshore team with UX/UI design, quality assurance, data visualization, product management and strategy, and project management nearshore capabilities based in the US, and top engineering talent based in Latin America.

Kopius cost-effectively focused on deliverables and building the platform’s capabilities. By engaging Kopius, the Propel product could be developed without competing with internal initiatives that could pull the Providence engineering team in different directions. This was critical because the timeline to meet customer needs was tight and could not tolerate being reprioritized behind other internal initiatives.

The Propel platform is a complex technology stack based on multiple microservices and integrations that support a rich set of features. Shortly after onboarding, the Kopius team started designing and implementing a single-sign-on (SSO) capability across critical microservices, identity management tools, and study management tools.

“The Kopius Project Manager was incredibly helpful in helping us bridge the gap with new users. He brought a rigor of process, and I could rely on him to meet timelines, listen and understand requirements, and deliver results.”
Jon Clemens, Director of Programs, Providence Genomics

Results

Kopius’ involvement enabled the Providence and ISB teams to shift from a “start-up” mindset to sustainable, best practices following a continuous integration and deployment model.

With Kopius’ support, Providence Genomics was able to deliver: an enterprise software product and a set of websites that educate patients through dynamic media-rich content about available studies based on eligibility criteria; a platform able to manage patient identities, enrollment, and electronic consent in accordance with Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved protocols; and functionality for researchers to track and engage with patients, collect data, and return results.

“The genomics industry is highly innovative- and this project required a true collaboration of exceptional talent. No one is naïve enough to think that one org has all the answers. We worked together to lay out a plan and we’re continuing to collaborate with Kopius to meet the needs of this dynamic industry,”
Cheryl Isen, Head of Marketing, Providence Genomics

*Work was performed under the previous business name, Valence

Boeing

Data-Driven Proof-of-Concept B2B Application

A working application allowed Boeing to demonstrate key features and gauge interest in a new offering

Challenge

Boeing is a large global company with a heavily siloed organizational structure and process-rich manufacturing environment.

Modern airplanes are basically flying IoT sensor arrays, with almost every part of the plane capturing data during a flight, which is downloaded for analysis by the airline when a plane lands. This data contains a wealth of potential insights, such as performance trends that can lead to more accurate maintenance planning. This data becomes even more valuable when it is aggregated with other airline-specific data as well as supplier data so it can be used to identify trends and issues early, to the benefit of the industry.

Of course, much of this data is also proprietary and demands high security so that different airlines and suppliers are only sharing what they are willing to share and can maintain control over who sees what and for how long.

Boeing needed a better way to share data between organizations in a highly controlled and secure way.

The company wanted a proof-of-concept that would demonstrate an interaction between Boeing, an airline, and a parts supplier, and the value of this aggregated data. It was needed under a tight timeline, and it needed to demonstrate innovation and customer-focused development to Boeing’s customers.

The Solution

Because this project was a new type of endeavor, Boeing did not have an established process internally and selected Kopius* as its innovation partner, benefiting from Kopius’ nearshore engineering services, with team members based in the US and in Argentina.

Kopius conducted a series of client interviews and design sessions with key stakeholders to understand current processes and capabilities for sharing this type of data. Because this was a new capability, there were many gaps and unknowns in the process. Our team led the customer through envisioning sessions to develop wireframes for key features in the solution while also working closely with Microsoft to integrate with existing technology solutions including Microsoft Synapse, Purview, and an unreleased Microsoft product that creates and enforces contracts when data is shared securely.

Results

The solution was a responsive web application hosted in Azure that allowed users to access, share, and analyze data with airline customers and suppliers in a secure and trusted environment.

The result was a working application that allowed Boeing to demonstrate these key features to customers to gauge interest in becoming an early adopter of this new offering. The effort also enabled Boeing to collect early user feedback to inform the exploration of new revenue streams by monetizing existing data. Boeing was able to conduct market analysis rapidly and inexpensively without the long and expensive process of launching a new service.

*Work was performed under the previous business name, Valence

Healthcare Non-Profit

Clinical Trials Healthcare Research Accelerator

Background

Our client is a national not-for-profit healthcare system committed to improving the health of all people. The system includes hospitals, clinics, and a comprehensive range of services.

Among its services, the client’s organization offered a web portal where donors, patients, providers, and research scientists could look for clinical trials to improve patient health outcomes, called the Healthcare Research Accelerator.

The Healthcare Research Accelerator is a special project because it is used by doctors across the globe who are working with patients who are out of options. These doctors want to help their patients, and they have to be creative, so they seek out the latest trials in hopes they can enroll their patients and get them access to promising therapies. These doctors are often under a lot of pressure when they come to this tool, and they need a tool that is easy to use.

Challenge

The original search tool was designed and developed long ago by in-house resources, and because of considerable gaps in functionality and usability, platform support was going to end. Further, the design and development team that had originated the portal had disbanded and there was no documentation about its architecture or functionality. Our client needed to replace the Healthcare Research Accelerator with a new solution for this critical service.

The accelerator is incredibly important, but the search function had coding flaws and had reached a point where patients and providers didn’t like or trust the tool – because our client’s organization is on a mission to improve patient outcomes, it was urgent that we deliver a better way to connect people with clinical trial information.

Solution

Thanks to our significant experience working with this client on other digital projects, Kopius* had gained the client’s trust and was engaged to re-platform the clinical trials Healthcare Research Accelerator tool. Services included user experience design, user interface design, engineering, quality assurance, and deployment support.

Because of the loss of user confidence, change management practices were woven into our approach. From discovery to user experience design, and through user acceptance testing, we engaged a variety of users and provided visibility into our thinking and process. This rebuilt trust in the tool’s potential and helped to improve market sentiment.

“If you want a deployment to be adopted, you must invest time and energy in communication and collaboration with your users. The change management plan needs to address stakeholder communication and internal business processes.”
Glen Lewis, Kopius technical project manager

One of the first stages of the effort was to reverse engineer the structure of the previous iteration of the platform to identify data sources and reveal the cause of the failed search results. We conducted a four-week assessment to document how the platform was built.

Understanding why the previous platform was failing was an important step in rebuilding trust among users that this new iteration would perform as expected.

The assessment unearthed that the previous platform relied on a search function in what amounts to a continuous document. Kopius engineers built a new database according to industry best practices, which is more flexible and can scale and be managed over time.

Our data team also built custom logic for the clinical trial searches to address the unique and specific needs of users. The updated search function uses criteria to return highly relevant results without requiring an exact string of words.

We simplified the XML ingestion process by reducing and consolidating a three-step process that moved data across multiple servers to a single drag-and-drop interface.

The User Acceptance Testing period (UAT) included additional time and resources to engage users and build trust in the new tool. We prepared users for the UAT by explaining what they should expect and how we expect the tool to work before they tested it. The UAT process was divided into three testing events, and each event was followed by a detailed review of issues identified, including what happened, why it happened, and how it would be fixed, further building trust in the system.

Upon completion, we provided comprehensive and detailed documentation of the new platform and how it is built so it can be referenced, integrated, and updated more easily in the future.

Results

The new Healthcare Research Accelerator tool is easy to use, and users are excited to use it. The database has also become the primary source for clinical trial information across client websites. The design was seamless with the client’s updated brand strategy, and the platform nested within the larger brand strategy perfectly.

Through our collaborative process and open communication, we won over users who were skeptical that our project was merely to re-skin a dysfunctional tool.

Kopius’ efforts to build elegant mapping logic will help doctors and patients easily find the trials they need, which will hopefully enable patients to overcome their sickness and feel better.

“This project was not easy. You handled our requests with grace and with integrity, and we’re so thankful to you for this hard work.”
Client Project Director

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.

EdTech

Software Delivered to Market 225% Faster

Nearshore Development Reduces Labor Costs by 40%

Challenge

Our client is a Chicago-based education technology (edtech) company that creates K-12 writing software and curriculum to help students become strong critical thinkers. Highlighted as a “game-changing educational software” by Bill Gates, controlled studies also show that its product helps students with reading and writing growth. The company teaches critical thinking through argumentative writing via its personalized literacy platform for English, language arts, science, social studies, and math.

This edtech startup had a unique opportunity to distribute its products to several schools. The company had a small and highly skilled engineering team, but did not have the internal resources to scale up the product in time to serve this high volume of school customers. If the company missed the opportunity to ready its products for this opportunity, a competitor would win the work.

As an early-stage company, they needed a cost-effective solution as they sought to build an intuitive SaaS platform for teachers, students, and principals.

The Solution

We were able to meet this client’s needs for scale, speed, and cost-effectiveness by engaging our nearshore engineering team. Based in Argentina, we were able to match working hours, and integrate quickly with the internal team. We provided an autonomous team that included Ember.js, React.js, and Ruby on Rails developers, a business analyst, and QA resources to build an evolved teacher lesson library and grading experience. Our team provided end-to-end service and guidance to the client by developing the product roadmap, supplying resources, and performing QA.

Results

Our client scaled-up quickly, moving from two developers to three parallel teams in just four months. They reduced time-to-market by 225% thanks to streamlined engineering and collaboration capabilities. They saved 40% on resource costs over a three-year period, compared to estimated costs to staff the team internally from Chicago.

United Launch Alliance

Augmented Reality Application

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is an American spacecraft launch service provider that manufactures and operates rocket vehicles that are capable of launching spacecraft into orbits around Earth and to other bodies in the Solar System.

Challenge

With a new rocket in development, United Launch Alliance needed to engage its target audience at the largest and most influential event in the space industry. This event is sponsored by large, innovative, and competitive brands, so it was imperative to differentiate from the competition with an experience within the event.

Solution

The physical size of a rocket prevents it from being transported and shared for marketing and sales opportunities, but much like a car, there’s a certain impressiveness to a rocket’s physicality.

Kopius* conceptualized, designed, and built a fun and immersive end-to-end experience. The solution included a mobile augmented reality application called ULA Anywhere that created life-sized rockets in virtual showrooms, social media photo sharing, and a mission-based game employing light simulation-based physics to demonstrate the complex rocket trajectories and satellite orbits.

By using augmented reality on mobile devices, Kopius could help ULA engage a diverse audience for sales opportunities and to increase brand awareness and affinity.

Technologies used included augmented reality, iOS application development, and Android application development.

Results

The ULA Anywhere experience differentiated ULA from its competitors, expanded the brand’s reach beyond the event’s walls, and created IP that could be repurposed for future events, increasing total ROI.

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.

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Fortune 10 Company

Experiential Marketing Application and Internet of Things (IoT)

Our client had established itself as a leader in enabling IoT technologies. The Internet of Things has grown increasingly complex as virtually any electronic device in any space can be used to collect and use data, resulting in a variety of services and experiences.

Challenge

As more smart home and office solutions enter the mainstream, it’s become difficult for the average, non-tech-evangelist to navigate the sea of hardware, software, and connected hub devices. Our client needed a retail experience that would allow its consumers to touch, feel, and demo smart devices to ensure they meet their needs.

Further the experience needs to showcase the tech company’s brand and showcase its leadership compared to other big brands.

The Solution

Kopius* was engaged to conceptualize, design, build, and deploy an in-person experiential retail experience showcases the connected life experience, which brings the smart home and office to life in a visually stunning, engaging way.

The in-person experience showcases technology and is supported by technology, including web applications and digital demos. The demos bridge the virtual world on screen with the environment around the consumer, showcasing a connected world by immersing the consumer in a connected world.

Customers interact with a mobile device, choosing from a variety of common “smart” scenarios. Once selected, a screen shows the scenario in action while smart light strips in retail cubbies light up the screen according to the products being used.

Technologies used include Microsoft Azure, Blog Storage, Application Insights, LifX Strip Lighting, UWP application development, and Android application development.

Results

The experience is an effective, scalable, and self-guided way for customers to understand how a variety of IoT products can integrate into and improve their day-to-day lives. The retailer sold more product to first- and third-party customers thanks to increased customer confidence and understanding from the demo and experience.

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.

B2B Healthcare Data and Research Company

Digital Brand and Website Development

The healthcare industry is in a transformative period, with leading organizations gaining a competitive edge through M&A activity and technology investments. Each merger is accompanied by a fast-paced initiative to align brands, communicate competitive advantages, and increase market share.

Challenge

A large non-profit healthcare system had purchased a next-generation B2B data and research company, which needed its digital identity to be updated and aligned to its new ownership’s brand. Due to the complexity of the services and organizational structure, it was critical to get the message and strategy right.

The client also did not have a website to reflect its new organization and present its story to the market.

The Solution

Kopius* was chosen to deliver a brand guideline and messaging strategy. The scope of services included a visual brand guideline, web interface designs, a messaging strategy, a content calendar, and supporting collateral templates. Kopius was also tasked with the design and development of a new corporate website.

Kopius started with brand and identity exercises that would inform the visual design for the acquired business unit. Partnering with the in-house marketing and communications teams ensured that the visual concepts were in harmony with the values and goals established for the company.

Those exercises resulted in mood boards that became the foundation for decisions regarding the visual identity and digital style guide.

The design team then provided design concepts that were translated into specific deliverables, managed by our internal project managers to ensure maximum efficiency and quality output with minimal pressure on the client’s internal teams.

As the mood boards and design concepts took shape, the Kopius design team collected brand requirements into a style guide. The style guide included logo treatments, color palettes, font treatments, design requirements for web pages and collateral, presentation templates, and guidance for the tone of voice and communication.

Simultaneously, Kopius designed, developed, launched, and populated a new SEO-friendly corporate website, built using a flexible content management system so the client could manage updates and take ownership of content as it evolved. The website emphasized partnership opportunities and was up and running on the day of the business’s launch at a large health conference, which the business sponsored.

Results

The refreshed brand communicates professional capabilities, tells the B2B business’s story, and breaks its complex solutions into easy-to-understand concepts. The client was empowered to establish itself in the market and quickly get busy growing its market share.

The website is the foundation of the company’s digital marketing strategy and supports communication, lead generation, and sales engagement efforts.

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.

Healthcare Startup

Website Design and Development

This healthcare technology startup was established in 2020 and has an ambitious goal of transforming the healthcare industry by accelerating technological, clinical, and operational advances.

The company was preparing to launch at a major healthcare industry event, and needed to declare itself as an important brand in the industry’s tech sector. It is imperative for a technology brand to have a top-notch digital presence.

Challenge

The timing between the company forming and this industry event was tight. This client had to quickly develop its key message and brand platform while designing and developing its website.

The Solution

Kopius* was engaged to design and build the website, working closely with the marketing and branding teams to craft a user experience and content strategy that told the company’s story and delivered an excellent user experience.

Thanks to the firm’s background in healthcare combined with its industry-leading staff of designers and developers, Kopius was able to move quickly. The effort began with low- and high-fidelity wireframes, and included a digital style guide that addressed voice principles, color palettes, typography, photography, and digital styling elements.

The website was published and bug-free in time for the event and the company’s launch. Technologies used include WordPress, Gutenberg blocks, CI/CD pipeline for code, and Docker with build scripts.

Results

The website design showed brand maturity and leadership, and the site structure attracted partners and customers to the client’s powerful message about transforming healthcare with technology.

Our client used press momentum and marquee sponsorship of the large health conference to drive traffic to the website, and to capture interest from prospective customers and industry contacts.

In the first 4 weeks, the website had 3,879 Sessions and 9,445 page views.

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.