{"id":3491,"date":"2026-10-15T14:14:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/?p=3491"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:14:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:14:47","slug":"how-to-customize-the-user-interface-of-lab-workbench-4e76-78fc0b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/15\/how-to-customize-the-user-interface-of-lab-workbench-4e76-78fc0b\/","title":{"rendered":"How to customize the user interface of Lab Workbench?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone, if you\u2019ve ever spent long hours staring at a generic lab workbench UI and thought, \u201cThere\u2019s got to be a way to stop scrolling through 17 unused tabs just to get to my daily assays,\u201d you\u2019re in the right spot. I\u2019m Jake, part of the team that builds and tweaks lab workbenches for researchers like you, and today we\u2019re breaking down exactly how to customize this tool so it works for your workflow\u2014not the other way around. No stuffy jargon, no unnecessary hoops, just real, actionable stuff we\u2019ve picked up from talking to thousands of lab folks over the last few years. Lab Workbench<\/a><\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s cut to the chase: generic UI defaults are garbage for labs. One researcher in a molecular biology lab doesn\u2019t need a panel for soil moisture testing, and a environmental chemist doesn\u2019t care about PCR reaction setup on their home screen. We built our workbench to be super flexible, but most people never go past the first \u201cSettings\u201d button\u2014so let\u2019s fix that.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the big one: rearranging your main dashboard. When you first log in, you\u2019ll see a default layout with 5+ widgets, most of which you\u2019ll never touch. Here\u2019s the quick, no-fuss way to tweak it. On desktop, just hover over any widget (those little info cards with numbers, charts, or quick links) and click that tiny three-dot menu in the top right corner. You\u2019ll see options to \u201cPin,\u201d \u201cMinimize,\u201d or \u201cRemove\u201d it. For example, if you run daily qPCR runs, keep the \u201cActive Assay Status\u201d widget front and center, and nix the \u201cLab Safety Calendar\u201d if you only check that once a week (you can always add it back later by clicking the \u201c+ Add Widget\u201d button at the top). On mobile? Same vibe\u2014tap and hold any widget for 2 seconds, then drag it to where you want it. We\u2019ve had a high school lab tech tell us this cut their time prepping for lab by 12 minutes a day, which adds up to almost a full workweek a year. That\u2019s the stuff that matters.<\/p>\n

Next up: customizing quick action buttons. This is the unsung hero of UI customization. The default quick actions usually have things like \u201cSubmit Report\u201d and \u201cBook Calibration,\u201d but what if your go-to is logging a sample, or pulling up your most used reagent inventory sheet? Let\u2019s make that happen. To edit quick actions, look for the \u201cCustomize Toolbar\u201d link at the bottom of the main dashboard\u2014no digging in advanced settings, promise. You\u2019ll get a pop-up with a list of all available actions, and you can drag and drop them into the order that makes sense for you. We recently had a materials science researcher who swapped all 5 default buttons for \u201cLog Sample Entry,\u201d \u201cView Previous Test Data,\u201d \u201cPull Material SDS Sheet,\u201d \u201cStart New Test Run,\u201d and \u201cBook Equipment Time.\u201d Said it cut his clicks per shift by 30+\u2014game changer when you\u2019re juggling 10 samples at once.<\/p>\n

Wait, what about side panels? If you\u2019re one of those people who has 3+ tools open at once (I see you, data analysts), we\u2019ve got you covered. The left side panel can be collapsed, expanded, or even set to \u201cauto-hide\u201d so you don\u2019t have it taking up space when you don\u2019t need it. For more control, go to Settings > UI Settings > Side Panel Preferences, and you can choose which tools show up there. If you only use the inventory tool and assay planner, you can hide the equipment log and report generator. We also added a cool \u201cgroup\u201d feature here\u2014you can organize your favorite tools into custom folders, like \u201cMy Daily Work\u201d or \u201cPCR Assays\u201d so you don\u2019t have to sift through a long list every time you need something.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about something less talked about but so useful: theme and contrast settings. If you\u2019re staring at a screen for 8+ hours a day, eye strain is real. We didn\u2019t make everyone pick between bright white and dark mode\u2014we have 12 different color themes, plus custom contrast sliders. On desktop, just click your profile pic in the top right, select \u201cAppearance,\u201d and you can adjust text size, background brightness, and even accent colors. For folks with visual impairments, we worked with lab researchers who are colorblind to make sure all status indicators (like \u201cSample Ready\u201d or \u201cError\u201d) work with any color combination. We had a grad student tell us switching to a custom high-contrast theme cut their headache days by half. Worth every tiny step to tweak that.<\/p>\n

Oh, and if you\u2019re working in a team? This is where it gets even better. We get that labs are collaborative, so you can have custom UI settings for yourself, and then set up shared UI layouts for your entire team. For example, if your team only runs water quality tests, you can make a shared dashboard that hides all the unrelated assay tools. How does that work? Go to Settings > Team Layouts, and you can create a custom layout, then send a link to your team members to apply it to their own accounts. We\u2019ve had a hospital lab that used this to standardize their UI across 20 researchers, so no one was wasting time figuring out where to log patient samples. No more \u201cwait, where do I enter this test?\u201d conversations\u2014huge for busy clinical labs.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s address the elephant in the room: I\u2019m not a tech person, will this be complicated? Nope. We built the UI customization to be point-and-click, no coding required. We even added a \u201cReset to Default\u201d button if you mess something up and want to start over\u2014no shame, I\u2019ve done it too when I accidentally removed my most used widget. If you\u2019re someone who likes a little more control, there\u2019s an advanced tab for power users where you can tweak things like custom keyboard shortcuts (yes, you can set a keyboard shortcut to \u201cLog Sample Entry\u201d if you don\u2019t want to click the toolbar every time) and even hide unused menu items. But 90% of the customization you\u2019ll ever need is in the basic settings menu, no advanced stuff required.<\/p>\n

Let me drop a quick real example to make this concrete. A few months back, we worked with a plant biology lab that was spending 20 minutes a day hunting for their seed germination assay logs. They customized their dashboard by: 1) Removing all default widgets except \u201cActive Germination Assays\u201d and \u201cReagent Levels\u201d; 2) Setting their quick actions to \u201cLog Germ Status\u201d and \u201cPull Seed Inventory\u201d; 3) Adjusting the theme to a soft green (their lab\u2019s brand color) to cut eye strain; 4) Making a shared team layout so all 8 researchers had the same setup. After a month, they told us that saved them almost 8 hours total that month\u2014time they used to grow more test plants. That\u2019s exactly why we built this.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s cover a few pro tips that even we didn\u2019t think of until lab folks told us. First, save your custom layouts! If you\u2019re testing a new workflow, make a backup of your dashboard before you tweak too much\u2014takes 2 seconds, and saves you from panicking if you hate the changes. Second, don\u2019t overdo it. It\u2019s tempting to add every widget you can find, but keeping it clean means you\u2019ll actually use the stuff you customize. Third, ask your team what they need. If multiple people are missing the same tool from their dashboard, that\u2019s a sign you should adjust the shared layout for the whole group.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019ve tried customizing your workbench and ran into snags, or you want to build a custom UI tailored exactly to your lab\u2019s needs, we\u2019re here to help. Whether you\u2019re a 3-person startup lab, a university research group, or a clinical lab with 50+ researchers, our team can walk you through every step of setting up a UI that fits how you actually work, not what we thought would be convenient. We can also build custom tools specific to your lab\u2019s workflows if the out-of-the-box options don\u2019t cover it\u2014no big tech hoops, just working with you.<\/p>\n

Lab Casework<\/a> So if you\u2019re ready to stop fighting your lab workbench and start making it work for you, hit us up to connect with our team for a consultation. We\u2019ll walk through your current workflow, show you how to tweak the UI to cut your busy work time, and answer any questions you have. No sales pitches, no pressure, just help to make your lab life a little easier.<\/p>\n

References<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. National Institutes of Health. (2022). Laboratory Efficiency and Workflow Optimization: A Guide for Research Teams<\/em>. Bethesda, MD: NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs.<\/li>\n
  2. Association of Public Health Laboratories. (2023). Digital Tool Customization for Clinical Laboratory Operations<\/em>. Washington, DC: APHL.<\/li>\n
  3. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. (2021). \u201cUI\/UX Design Impacts on Research Productivity in Wet Lab Settings.\u201d Volume 183, Pages 112\u2013118.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    HAMECC(Shanghai) Lab Solutions Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    We’re well-known as one of the leading lab workbench manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and good price. Please rest assured to buy customized lab workbench made in China here from our factory.
    Address: Building 1, No. 2222, Huancheng Road, Jiading District, Shanghai
    E-mail: info@hamecc.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.hamecc.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey everyone, if you\u2019ve ever spent long hours staring at a generic lab workbench UI and … How to customize the user interface of Lab Workbench?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":3491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3454],"class_list":["post-3491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-lab-workbench-420b-793577"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mikeiken-job.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}