Overview
In response to the surging demand for COVID-19 testing, a national diagnostics laboratory partnered with us to deliver a streamlined and efficient digital solution for their drive-through testing locations. The goal was to create an omni-channel application (web and mobile) that simplified test registration and results delivery, aligning with the laboratory’s broader digital transformation strategy. Despite the urgency, we successfully built, tested, and deployed the solution in less than four weeks, helping the lab meet its operational goals and deliver a seamless customer experience.
Challenge
As COVID-19 cases surged, the lab faced the challenge of meeting high demand for drive-through testing while maintaining a smooth and efficient customer experience. They needed a digital solution that could:
Support rapid patient registration and scheduling at multiple testing locations.
Fit within their existing systems and digital transformation roadmap.
Be designed, developed, and deployed within a strict four-week timeline.
The solution needed to be easy for patients to use and efficient for back-office staff to manage, providing real-time data and results integration while keeping overall IT costs in check.
Approach
To meet these needs, we designed and developed a scalable omni-channel application that allowed patients to:
Securely register using third-party identity providers.
Select the nearest testing site from an integrated map.
Pre-order tests for themselves or family members and digitally sign consent forms.
Receive notifications and follow-up on test results.
Upon completing the registration process, patients received a QR Code for expedited check-in at the test site. The entire process was designed to take just minutes, reducing delays and enhancing the overall testing experience.
For back-office staff, the application included features that allowed them to:
Scan patient QR codes to confirm orders and register patients quickly.
Print specimen container labels directly at the time of service.
Access detailed reports and view KPIs for patient management and site performance.
Solution
With a tight deadline, we worked closely with the lab’s IT team and other providers to deliver a full, integrated solution:
The lab’s IT department handled middleware and database integration between legacy systems and the new application.
Two additional providers were responsible for the infrastructure and identity management.
We led the greenfield development of the web and mobile applications, focusing on rapid design, development, and delivery.
Our team worked in four planned sprints, prioritizing key features and deferring lower-value items to later phases while maintaining flexibility to add stretch goals within each sprint. Clear communication was vital, with daily standups and group chats ensuring that any blockers were quickly resolved.
We also implemented unit and functional testing throughout the development process, ensuring that each delivered feature met user stories and acceptance criteria.
Impact
In just four weeks, we delivered a fully functional and integrated Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which was quickly put through end-to-end testing by the lab’s subject matter experts. This rapid delivery enabled the lab to:
Enhance customer experience: Patients could register, order tests, and receive results quickly and efficiently, greatly improving the pre-test experience at drive-through sites.
Increase operational efficiency: The streamlined back-office tools helped staff process patients faster, reducing bottlenecks and increasing throughput at testing sites.
Respond to market demands: The laboratory was able to meet the high demand for COVID-19 tests with a scalable, future-ready solution that aligns with their digital transformation roadmap.
Conclusion
Though the immediate goal was to meet COVID-19 testing demands, the application was built with future scalability in mind. The foundational framework we implemented decoupled components, allowing for easy reusability and future expansion. This flexibility ensures that the lab can shift from a web-first to a mobile-first strategy, supporting their next steps in digital transformation while remaining agile for future projects.
