PPIG 2019 - 30th Annual Workshop
Beyond a Faster Horse: the UX of a Paperless Biochemistry Laboratory
Chris Martin, Kate Kilgour, Angus I. Lamond
Abstract: It is astounding though possibly not surprising, that the default cognitive prosthesis in the modern laboratory environment is the paper notebook. In many walks of life, the 50+ year-old promises of technology are increasingly a reality: spoken dialogue systems a commodity, central-heating systems that can anticipate need and context-aware delivery of advertising as you walk past a shop. With all of this capability, why are paper notebooks still the best option for many working in science laboratories? This paper describes a study designed to try and understand why paper remains prevalent. It seeks to understand what feature set and design decisions are required to inform the design of an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) capable of displacing the paper notebook.