31 Oct

Oxford Instruments shortlisted with Binary Vision for Lab Awards 2023

Oxford Instruments, provider of high technology analytical products and services to the world’s leading industrial companies contributed superlative knowledge of the domain and integrated app-communication updates into their detector software. Binary Vision, a web tech company, brought technical and design know-how alongside an Agile, one team model. The project ran 2-weekly Agile sprints with staff from both companies.

“Working with Binary Vision was an energising experience,” says Ed Jackson, Services Business and Product Manager at Oxford Instruments NanoAnalysis. “The process allowed a razor-sharp focus on user needs. All work was in the open, shared on team-wide Kanban boards - from earliest scoping / design thinking to the emerging app as it iterated in user-led sprints. The result is the cloud-based WebApp which provides a wholly new digital service. It was hugely collaborative from start to finish, it is exciting that it is being recognised as such, by being shortlisted for by the Lab Awards judges.”

Further details of the project

The Challenge

Oxford Instruments’ analytical tools are used in labs around the world. Like many scientific instruments, they are cloud-connected, sending back data on parameters such as position, power and temperature.

Oxford Instruments had two problems: First, many users didn't connect their microscopes, so much valuable data was lost along with the opportunity to engage customers. Second, when devices were connected, they produced so much data, hosted in an inaccessible data lake, that it was too complex to utilise. Functional teams struggled to glean useful insights, while customers saw no benefit from connecting their devices. “We had all this valuable data”, says Dean Bass, Product Development Director at Oxford Instruments NanoAnalysis, “but it was data without intelligence.”

The “One Team” Collaboration Formula

The results are transforming the experience of connected devices, delivering new revenue and deeper customer engagement. Binary Vision worked with users of Oxford Instrument NanoAnalysis instruments and staff to create a Connected Device Web App displaying real-time telemetry data from Oxford Instruments sensors and equipment on anytime, anywhere. This collaborative process – including iterative software sprints and open team-wide sharing - enabled Oxford Instruments to build an entirely new digital strategy. As a result, Oxford Instruments is offering new value from instrument data for its global customers.

The Benefits

The PWA enables us to visualise operations and respond to issues in real time. “Everyone loves it” concludes Bass. “Service and sales teams can have totally new conversations with customers. And as soon as customers see the added value, they immediately connect the device.”