Kevin Liedtke

Software ArchitectureProduct Experience DesignHands-On Engineering

Labs-as-a-Service Platform

A self-service portal designed to give engineers and lab staff controlled access to hardware for Ethernet validation, transforming scattered manual workflows into an efficient, modular system.

At a Glance

RoleSystems Architect & UX Lead
TeamPrincipal Engineer, Lab Techs, Validation Engineers, Web Developer
ArtifactsUX flows, architecture diagrams (Visio), Figma mockups, survey insights, API interaction notes
Key FeaturesRole-based reservations, inventory tracking, admin controls, helpdesk links
Key ImpactEstimated 30% reduction in support tickets and time spent, improved hardware utilization and visibility

The move: stop tracking lab hardware by ticket and spreadsheet, and give every role, engineer, admin, and stakeholder, one shared, self-service view of the same pool.

The Challenge: Fragmented Lab Access & Resource Waste

When COVID-19 disrupted lab access, validation engineers were left without a way to continue critical hardware testing. Labs-as-a-Service was created to support remote reservation, configuration, and monitoring of lab systems while reducing support burden and hardware waste.

Manual and ad hoc

Hardware was reserved through manual ticketing and spreadsheets, with no shared source of truth.

Siloed ownership

Idle or duplicated systems accumulated because each team owned and tracked hardware independently.

No shared visibility

There was no shared inventory or usage data, so nobody could see what was already available.

Reinvented per team

Every team built and maintained its own workflow for the same underlying problem.

Four groups depended on getting this right: QA engineers needed bulk reservations of hardware with specific test setups, developers needed quick access to one or two systems for feature work, lab admins needed full inventory visibility to maintain hardware, and stakeholders needed usage data for planning and budgeting. None of them had a shared way to get it.

My Role: Systems Architect & UX Lead

  • Defined the system architecture and role-based access model for the portal.
  • Led UX research and design, including user interviews, task flows, Figma mockups, and final UI specs.
  • Collaborated with validation teams, lab techs, and a principal architect to align backend constraints with front-end design.
  • Established accessibility and layout standards for a modular, multi-role interface.

Approach: A Modular, Role-Based Portal

The portal centralized lab hardware management behind a modular, role-based UX organized around what each user needed to do, not how the lab was organized internally or who owned which hardware. I mapped the full workflow from request through reservation, access, servicing, release, and reporting, which exposed where tickets, spreadsheets, and tribal knowledge were creating friction, then separated self-service tasks from admin controls so engineers could move quickly without generating more support burden.

Recreated mockup of the Labs-as-a-Service inventory table showing per-column search, multi-NIC system rows, reservation status with time remaining, a limited-supply designation, and bulk selection with a reserve action.
Recreated engineer view of the inventory and reservation table. Names, IDs, and data are fictional. Click to open full size.
Task flow diagram following an engineer from sign-in through inventory search, reservation, system access, and release, with a fulfillment branch where unmatched requests become pending reservations that the lab team builds and activates.
The engineer task flow, including the fulfillment path: a failed search becomes a pending reservation, not a dead end. Click to open full size.

Key tradeoffs:

Simple surface, real constraints

The interface stayed simple on the surface while still respecting backend realities: system pools, permissions, hardware configuration, servicing status, and utilization reporting.

Fast access, retained control

Developers got fast self-service access without removing the control lab admins needed to manage shared resources responsibly.

Shared views, not clutter

Inventory and reservation views served multiple teams at once without turning the portal into a cluttered admin console.

UX Architecture with role-based UX connected to backend services like inventory, reservation, helpdesk, and monitoring.
System view with role-based UX connected to backend services like inventory, reservation, helpdesk, and monitoring. Click to open full size.

Results & Impact

Before the Portal

  • Email tickets for lab access.
  • Manual spreadsheet lookups.
  • Ad hoc scripts and tribal knowledge.
  • Support required for routine provisioning.
  • Unused hardware held due to poor visibility.

After the Portal

  • Centralized self-service access.
  • Current inventory and reservation status.
  • Pre-configured test setups.
  • Embedded help for common workflows.
  • Shared pool with clear utilization visibility.
  • Cut support tickets and routine lab-access time by an estimated 30% through self-service workflows.
  • Improved hardware visibility and reuse through shared inventory and reservation history.
  • Enabled data-driven planning through utilization insights for stakeholders and lab admins.

Stakeholder Feedback

“This system is a game-changer. Finally we have visibility into our hardware and a seamless way to manage it.”

“The modular UX made it easy for engineers and admins alike, no extra training needed.”