Why Usability Matters in Lab Automation

The hidden cost of unused equipment

The most expensive lab instrument is the one you buy and never use.

It’s the one covered in post-its, left by previous post-docs and automation techs. It’s the one that’s gathering dust after the one technician who knew the “dark art” of getting it to work has retired.

At Singer Instruments, we want to make your science easier, not harder. That’s why having software and instruments that are easy to use is at the core of what we produce – and that hasn’t changed with the development of the PIXL Series.

How do we do this?

First, we make our products in collaboration with scientists. We created PIXL with Matthew Chang at NUS  and ROTOR with Charlie Boone at The University of Toronto. Then we test it, over and over again, until every last annoyance is removed.

“Every single one of our products is developed with customers in the loop. It’s really important”

Harry Singer, CEO

Easier for you… and us!

The best part of this for us as a business? Having easy-to-use instruments means fewer service and support callouts. That’s why we only have 2.5 service engineers despite having over 2,000 customers worldwide!

Ash

Ian

Rich

Our 2.5 service and support engineers. Rich Lindsay is our 0.5 – he spends most of his time helping out with internal IT issues (“have you tried turning it off and on again?!”).

How to scale – simply

It can be daunting going from a fully manual process, such as picking colonies with toothpicks, to using an automated solution like PIXL Max. But you don’t need to run before you can walk. 

No matter the solution you choose, make sure it is:

1. Easy-to-use
The software and hardware should be easy and intuitive to use.

2. Simple to maintain
The PIXL Series software is incredibly user-friendly and contains visual guidance, meaning you can even do the maintenance yourself.

3. Able to use off-the-shelf consumables
Keeps your running costs low and gives you flexibility.

4. Extensible
Does it have a fully open API? Can you integrate with the robotic arm of your choice? Are there any associated costs with this?

And the most important message? Start small. Build your automated workflow as your lab grows, with extensible technology that’s designed to grow with you.