Quorum Review IRB, a leader in ethical review solutions through its Kinetiq division, envisioned a future-forward portal experience that would match the high-quality, responsive customer service they’re known for. The OnQ portal was central to how research teams, sponsors, and clinical sites interacted with Quorum—yet it was burdened by complexity and outdated usability. Quorum sought to modernize and humanize this experience to empower users and improve operational efficiency.
Quorum Review IRB
Transforming the IRB Experience: A Human-Centered Redesign of the OnQ Portal
Background
Challenges
Despite Quorum’s stellar service reputation, the OnQ portal failed to reflect the same quality. Key challenges included:
- Complex navigation and fragmented workflows
- Manual access management causing delays
- Lack of transparency in submission and approval processes
- High dependency on customer service for basic tasks
- Difficulty locating and acting on forms, documents, and reports
User frustrations were validated by voice-of-customer research and over 2,000 reviewed chat logs, which revealed recurring pain points in access, submissions, and search.
Partnership Info
client
Quorum Review IRB
Industry
Healthcare / Life Sciences / Clinical Research Services
type
Web Portal Redesign
services
UX Research, Envisioning, UX Design, Interaction Design, Design Workshops, Wireframing
Project Info
client
Quorum Review IRB
Industry
Healthcare / Life Sciences / Clinical Research Services
type
Web Portal Redesign
services
UX Research, Envisioning, UX Design, Interaction Design, Design Workshops, Wireframing
Background
Quorum Review IRB, a leader in ethical review solutions through its Kinetiq division, envisioned a future-forward portal experience that would match the high-quality, responsive customer service they’re known for. The OnQ portal was central to how research teams, sponsors, and clinical sites interacted with Quorum—yet it was burdened by complexity and outdated usability. Quorum sought to modernize and humanize this experience to empower users and improve operational efficiency.
Challenges
Despite Quorum’s stellar service reputation, the OnQ portal failed to reflect the same quality. Key challenges included:
- Complex navigation and fragmented workflows
- Manual access management causing delays
- Lack of transparency in submission and approval processes
- High dependency on customer service for basic tasks
- Difficulty locating and acting on forms, documents, and reports
User frustrations were validated by voice-of-customer research and over 2,000 reviewed chat logs, which revealed recurring pain points in access, submissions, and search.
“From a design perspective, I’m satisfied with what we received from UpTop.”– Senior Manager, Quorum Review IRB
Approach
UpTop initiated an intensive discovery phase, conducting stakeholder and developer interviews, user research, industry benchmarking, and immersive design workshops. These sessions mapped user journeys, prioritized needs, and co-created solutions with Quorum’s team. UpTop then transitioned into an embedded design partnership for Phase 1, collaborating daily with Kinetiq’s product and development teams.
Solution
UpTop delivered a foundational redesign plan focused on usability, scalability, and phased value delivery:
- Created task-oriented personas and detailed user stories to guide development
- Developed conceptual wireframes for a unified user experience
- Redesigned Phase 1 features including:
- A simple, user-centric dashboard Study-oriented navigation to mirror real-world workflows Improved UX for Documents & Correspondence Global Search to reduce friction Elevated visibility of Reports in navigation
- Recommended automation for access control and submission transparency
Results & Impact
Although the full development rollout was planned for future phases, the early outcomes of this engagement laid the groundwork for:
- Reduced support volume due to improved self-service and transparency
- Faster onboarding through intuitive navigation and guided tasks
- Improved stakeholder alignment with a shared long-term vision
- A scalable design system that Kinetiq could evolve over time
The collaboration between UpTop and Quorum Review marked a transformative moment—moving from fragmented processes to a seamless, user-centered digital experience that reflected Quorum’s high-touch service ethos.
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