LabTwin case study

Berlin, Germany

LabTwin. The Leading Smart Lab Assistant.

Brand refresh

Website re-design

Illustrations

Packaging design

Marketing materials

www.labtwin.com

LabTwin is a voice-powered digital lab assistant developed by Sartorius and BCG DV in 2018, a result of thorough research on ways to improve data capture in the lab.

Despite the remarkable progress in drug discovery, one of the most technologically advanced industries still uses paper to document scientific findings. Enter LabTwin - a pioneer in its field - working quietly alongside scientists to streamline documentation. With the help of AI and voice as an interface, scientists can now narrate their experiments while LabTwin records, labels and organizes data into shareable reports.

The challenge

From the first to the leading.

Methodology

Competitive research

User research and prototype testing (heatmaps, five-second test in particular)

Observations

Data analysis

Behavioral nudges

Back in 2018, LabTwin emerged as the pioneer – “the first voice-powered digital lab assistant” venturing forth, testing the waters, and finding its voice. Fast forward to 2023, and LabTwin has humbly evolved into “the leading digital lab assistant“, collaborating with Top 20 Pharma and Chemical companies. With several competitors on the market it was carefully but confidently calibrating the offer on accumulated data and insights. LabTwin now digitizes 100% of data at the bench, a substantial improvement from the previous 15%, accompanied by a remarkable user experience rating of 4.5/5. And it required its brand identity to reflect that gain of confidence.

As the company was maturing, fine-tuning the product and hiring talent, the time has come to touch up the brand. This reason brought me, a growth team, the head of research and design, a web developer, and a sales consultant together to collaborate on some brand updates.

Goals.

Tools

Miro

Figma

Hubspot

Adobe Suite

Procreate

1. Become a worthy player of the corporate world without losing our soul by fine-tuning the details:
- Website
- Imagery
- Conference materials
- Social media banners

2. Stand out among the competition confidently

3. Support marketing and sales efforts through:
- Better web experience
- Improved information hierarchy
- Optimized marketing materials

4. Boost onboarding experience by updating welcome kit packaging

To better address the objectives above, we closely examined our target audience. It became evident that our audience was at the core of the issues we were encountering. Our well-intentioned focus on scientists led us to ignore a significant segment of our target audience.

Audience

Navigating B2B SaaS multilayered audience landscape.

One common oversight among B2B SaaS companies is hyper-focusing on users. What they usually miss is how layered their audience is:
- Direct software users (in our case, scientists)
- Managers scouting new technologies
- Decision-makers in charge of the final purchases

If users engage with the app and onboarding materials, then managers encounter the tech brand at conferences, campaigns, and the website, building a compelling case for the decision-maker to adopt the solution. Thus, targeted outreach at the right touchpoints is key.

Starting with the website, the aim was to update brand and marketing assets to serve all three groups, ensuring a positive user experience for scientists and supporting managers in convincing decision-makers to invest in the new tool.

After shaping a holistic approach for our typographic and visual systems, we customized the website and marketing assets, including white papers, case studies, and conference materials, to resonate with managers and decision-makers. Simultaneously, we tailored our welcome kits to users.

Insight

Building up overall confidence visually.

Several LabTwin’s team members mentioned that they felt like LabTwin’s voice was too quiet and lacked character. So for presentations, they opted for Rockwell (this is a no-judgment zone!), looking for something more expressive and bold.

Another helpful feedback came from an outsider who once noticed that LabTwin’s brand looked gimmicky.

Guided by the feedback, we began to brainstorm ways to exude more maturity and reassurance.

Typography

From quiet descriptions to bold statements.

When doing the research of Life Sciences and AI fields, something caught our eye – a sea of sameness in typography. Picture this: tech startups using another thin sans serif fonts, 40px size for headers and timid colors - a classic playbook on how to build a tech startup website. Nothing screaming and very corporate - good old pharma.

While changing the fonts wasn’t on the table at the moment, we did stumble upon a nifty trick to make our brand voice heard: big and bold headers. A little switch in our header system, opting for larger titles transformed our words into confident statements.

Additionally, to create a parallel with LabTwin’s logo and color system, we used two colors for Headers 2 not just for the visual zing, but to help pace and highlight information.

And this is how we injected a bit of LabTwin character into our typography. Now it was time to refresh the imagery system.

Imagery

From a visionary brand to a proven concept.

To stand out and for the lack of available product photos, LabTwin used custom-made illustrations, integrating them throughout all touchpoints. And guess what? Somewhat ironically, the flood of illustrations caused the brand to lose its edge along the way.

Although illustrations are great communicators, the brand started to feel immature because those illustrations weren’t applied appropriately: users and decision-makers react differently to them. Users connect with the friendly spirit of illustrations. However, decision-makers have less interest in them. They want to see solid proof of concept, statistics and facts in a shape of a compelling story.

That was a reality check. We needed to get less visionary and more down-to-earth to radiate "we mean business”. After all, LabTwin isn't just a fancy concept anymore, but a real product delivering value.

Whether by choice or necessity, we dived into the world of stock photos. Luckily, just in time for our refresh, Adobe rolled out new AI features. This allowed us to effortlessly place Aftershokz headsets onto our scientists, sparing us from the time-consuming chore of excessive photoshopping. Plus, it doubled as a helpful tip for potential users: Aftershokz headsets perform best while documenting in the lab so we strongly encourage companies to use those.

We gave the brand a fresh coat of paint – from fonts to images – to make sure the whole identity appealed to the corporate world while being unmistakably LabTwin. And the first place we implemented the changes was the website.

Holistic execution

Easing the purchase decision with website.

The goal was to create a website as an interconnected web, inviting viewers to explore the product from the home page onwards. In the startup world, websites often come together in bits and pieces, resulting in a disjointed user experience and potential loss of leads due to:
- Isolated pages lacking clear paths for user journey continuation
- Repetitive information that fails to present a comprehensive product overview
- Information overload on a single page

A better practice is to take a holistic approach to web design which offers a top-down view of where specific content should reside to avoid information overload or gaps.

Our new headings already served as signposts that capture visitors' attention and adeptly steer them through the content. Beyond visual refinements, we also updated our language, opting for simpler tongue-in-cheek phrasing and more precise wording, allowing the viewers to swiftly identify crucial information.

A prototype test revealed an interesting finding: our product was often mistaken for a tool geared towards data scientists, due to language overlaps like "scientist," "capture data," and "sync your data." To counter this, we leveraged photos of scientists in the lab and scientific symbology (think blood cells, chromosomes, amoebas, DNAs, etc.). We’ve also incorporated “chips” where we placed statistics and benefits, mirroring our product’s UI.

Now to tackle the burning question of LabTwin’s value proposition, we focused on presenting a substantial amount of concrete statistics, customer testimonials, solid results and screenshots of the app. Numbers and screenshots help make software feasible.

In conclusion, we ensured the manager possesses the necessary arsenal to build a compelling argument for the decision-maker — and yes, we talked money. While user benefits and efficiency gains are important, decision-makers require a bigger picture. They need to understand how these successes contribute to their business's prosperity. In this regard, Return on Investment (ROI) became a crucial tool for outlining the substantial financial benefits.

Marketing assets & conferences

Moving to the real world.

In the real world our focus turned to refining marketing materials. LabTwin had amassed an array of assets, from flyers to case studies, but not all were effectively utilized. Our challenge was twofold: optimizing these assets and ensuring visual consistency.

Conferences

For conferences, we designed a booth with a reusable LED banner that stood out from the usual foam boards and paper. The LED technology aligned with our modern brand and tied in with our parent company's banner. We also added an iPad stand and video projection, offering an immersive glimpse into LabTwin's capabilities.

At the booth, we showcased a flyer that offered an in-depth overview of our technology and benefits, acting as a conversation starter to engage curious attendees who were looking for a reason to explore the stand in “stealth mode”.

Business cards

The revamped business cards integrated QR codes that directly linked to a landing page featuring a brief demo video and a scheduling tool for booking meetings.

White papers and case studies

To achieve consistency, we created standardized templates for white papers and case studies, available in both digital and print formats. Drawing inspiration from HBR's layout principles, we tailored our designs to deliver information in familiar to the pharma audience manner.

Social media

In the realm of social media, we added a splash of color to our banners, setting us apart from the common lab informatics color palette of white and blue. This vibrant choice helps us grab attention and stand out on the white UI backgrounds of LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Playful DNA and scientific symbols injected dynamism, particularly when announcing events.

These graphics were conveniently available as Figma templates for easy updates by any team member.

Welcome kits packaging

Making product viral IRL.

Welcome Kits are the initial touchpoint for users, consisting of a training guide, hardware to test the product and some delightful swag. They are vital as they support onboarding, especially for users who are less experienced with digital tools. This is the pivotal moment where the brand fulfills its promise.

The adoption of the new solution hinges on generating interest. As highlighted by LabTwin’s case study, nothing was more contagious than witnessing fellow scientists effortlessly using the product. So we aimed for a friendly and chic appearance, that would stand out amidst other lab tools.

The main box utilized our brand blue color and had an illustration of a connected lab on it. The other two boxes used our secondary colors, green and pink, offering hints of the contents of each box.

While the importance of first impressions is indisputable, we also intended to make it last, maximizing the utility of every item during a scientist’s workday. Scientists commonly employ various boxes to organize their workspaces. To encourage them to retain the boxes, we've added a playful touch: “I reused this box for” + an open space for users to assign a new purpose for the boxes.

Conclusion

The one lesson to take away.

I could easily wrap up this case study in a conventional manner: brimming with numbers, takeaways, and elaborate plans for future improvements. But that wouldn't quite capture the depth of what I've come to understand. It feels somewhat unjust—trying to encapsulate so much growth in a structured formula.

As I sit down to write this, I'm in a reflective moment, finally able to make sense of the whirlwind of activity that unfolded. It's led me to meditate on a fundamental truth:

No matter the endeavor—whether launching a startup, building a brand, or developing a product—it all boils down to people.

People triggered our brand update: from team insights to the revelations about our target audience. People nurtured the brand's evolution: our internal team, freelancers, consultants, and, of course, our customers. In essence, innovation and technology are powered by people. So, if there's one insight I'd like to emphasize through this case study, it's this:

The most rewarding investment is in people—listening to them, understanding their needs, collaborating with them, and extending a helping hand to them.

So this is my way to say thank you to everyone involved.

My relationship with LabTwin is marked by substantial learning and growth. And now, I want to channel that learning towards my passion: Biotech and Life Sciences. I strongly believe in the magic and potential that can emerge when scientific discoveries are made accessible to a wider audience.

If you're a Biotech or Life Sciences startup taking your science beyond academia, let's talk about strengthening your brand to accelerate your growth and achieve your ambitions. Reach out at kseniamik.design@gmail.com, and let’s find some time to talk.

*The produced work is the property of LabTwin.