Onkoru · Lab Design

A research lab
that runs from day one.

Building a behavioral research operation from scratch — or rebuilding one that isn't working. Onkoru designs and delivers the full infrastructure: space, platform, vendors, documentation, and the people who know how to use all of it.

Engagement type
Scoped project
Custom proposal
Suitable for
Academic labs
Corporate research teams
Output
Fully operational research
infrastructure + trained team
Start
Single scoping call
No commitment

The problem

Most research labs are built
the wrong way

Research infrastructure is usually assembled by whoever is available — a grad student who knows Qualtrics, a department admin who set up the panel vendor account, a faculty member who wrote the original SOPs three years ago and has since moved on.

The result is a lab that runs — until it doesn't. Studies fail at unexpected points. New team members have no onboarding. Data quality is inconsistent across projects. And every new study requires reinventing the wheel.

Common symptoms

— No standard protocol for how studies are designed, reviewed, or approved before launch
— Qualtrics environment built ad hoc — inconsistent naming, no templates, permissions out of date
— Panel vendor accounts set up for one project, never properly configured for reuse
— Data quality varies by who ran the study — no shared standard for what "clean" means
— New team members learn by watching senior members — no written SOP exists
— Physical lab space optimized for storage, not experimental control or participant flow

What we build

The full infrastructure stack

Every Lab Design engagement delivers four interconnected components — each designed to function independently and as part of a coherent whole.

Physical Space Design
Lab rooms and remote study environments designed for experimental control, participant flow, and observation. We map your existing space — or advise on a new one — and optimize it for how behavioral research actually runs.
Room layout and station configuration
Participant flow and observation sight lines
In-person and remote study environment design
Equipment and technology placement
Confidentiality and experimental control measures
Qualtrics Environment Configuration
A Qualtrics environment built to scale — not just for one study. We configure the full account structure so every study that follows starts from a clean, consistent foundation.
Account structure and folder hierarchy
Survey and block templates for common designs
Naming conventions and version control standards
User permissions and access tiers
Attention check, timing, and quality control defaults
Embedded data and panel integration setup
Panel Vendor Onboarding
Vendor evaluation, account configuration, and quality standards — so your panel infrastructure is set up for serious research, not just pilot studies. Covers Prolific, CloudResearch, and Onkoru's own verified panel.
Vendor evaluation and selection guidance
Account setup and billing configuration
Screening criteria templates and best practices
Quality monitoring and exclusion protocols
Longitudinal and recontact pipeline setup
Integration with Qualtrics and data workflows
SOPs & Team Training
A written SOP library and hands-on training that makes your team self-sufficient — so research quality doesn't depend on whoever happened to set things up first.
Study intake and pre-launch checklist
IRB documentation workflow
Data QA standards and exclusion criteria
Data handoff and storage protocols
Hands-on Qualtrics and panel platform training
Onboarding guide for new team members

Engagement process

How a Lab Design engagement works

Every engagement begins with a scoping session. Nothing is built before we understand your current state, your constraints, and what "done" looks like for your team.

01
Discovery
Scoping & Assessment
A structured session — typically 60–90 minutes — to assess your current infrastructure, understand your research workflows, and define exactly what needs to be built. We review existing Qualtrics setup, panel accounts, SOPs (if any), and physical space. You receive a written infrastructure plan with scope, timeline, and a fixed project fee before any work begins.
Deliverable: Written infrastructure plan + fixed project fee
02
Architecture
Design & Planning
Detailed design of each infrastructure component — space layout, Qualtrics architecture, vendor stack, and SOP structure — reviewed with your team before build begins. This is where you approve the blueprint. Nothing moves to implementation without sign-off.
Deliverable: Approved infrastructure blueprint across all four components
03
Implementation
Build & Configure
Full execution of the approved plan. Qualtrics environment configured. Vendor accounts set up and tested. SOPs written and formatted for your team. Space layout finalized with procurement guidance for any equipment needs. We handle the configuration — you don't need to be technical to receive a working system.
Deliverable: Fully configured research infrastructure, ready to run
04
Enablement
Training & Handoff
Hands-on training for your team — platform proficiency, SOP walkthrough, and a live run-through of a study from intake to data delivery. The goal is that your team can operate the lab independently from day one, without needing to call us for every new project.
Deliverable: Trained team + onboarding guide for future members

Who it's for

Right for three types of teams

Academic

Research labs & business schools

Faculty-led labs that run multiple studies per year across rotating grad student teams. The lab needs to be robust enough to survive turnover and rigorous enough to produce publication-quality data consistently.

Corporate

Insights & UX research teams

In-house research functions that need to move fast without sacrificing methodological rigor. Teams that are running studies on instinct and need a system that produces defensible, consistent output at scale.

New operations

Teams building from scratch

Organizations launching a research function for the first time — whether that's a new business school department, a funded startup adding research capability, or a corporate team spinning up a formal insights practice.

Every engagement is scoped individually. Lab Design projects vary significantly in scope — a single-room academic lab is a different engagement than a multi-site corporate research operation. The scoping session exists to define exactly what you need and give you a fixed fee before any commitment is made.
Start with scoping

No commitment required

Get started

Tell us about
your lab

Describe your current setup and what isn't working. We'll follow up within one business day with questions and a proposed scoping call.

Start a conversation

Or reach us directly: hello@onkoru.com · 213-712-4617