# Ketcher — Molecule Sketcher

By Semyon Kuznetsov · Web version: https://semyonkuznetsov.com/projects/ketcher.html

Ketcher is an open-source chemical structure editor used by researchers and
pharmaceutical companies. Scientists draw formulas from scratch, load them from
files or import them from pictures. The tool was used in drug R&D — including a
COVID-19 treatment project.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Domain | Life Sciences |
| Role | UX Researcher |
| Team | Research team (2 Designers) & UI Design team (4 Designers) |
| Timeline | Jun 2021 |

Links:

- Ketcher Demo — https://lifescience.opensource.epam.com/KetcherDemoSA/index.html
- EPAM Life Sciences Open Source — https://lifescience.opensource.epam.com/ketcher/

## Problem

The tool had grown organically over time and lacked a clear UX structure:

- Complex interface with non-intuitive controls
- Poor discoverability of key functions
- No clear documentation or onboarding
- Inconsistent experience across browsers and devices

## Goal

- Make it easier for scientists to draw, edit and export chemical structures
- Improve navigation and reduce usage errors
- Ensure compatibility across modern browsers
- Retain scientific precision while improving accessibility

## What I Did as UX Researcher

- Conducted interviews with internal chemists and external open-source users
- Researched key barriers, pain points and user needs
- Explored pain points through recorded screen sessions and GitHub issue history
- Ran competitive analysis of structure editors: Marvin, ChemDraw, BKChem
- Focused on task flows for creating molecules, editing bonds and exporting data

As a UI designer, I also supported the design team with the UI kit and
presentation design.

**Key insight:** most users only use 10–20% of the available tools — but can't
find them quickly.

## Achievements

While interviewing students, professors and scientists, we discovered the COVID
Moonshot project — an open-science effort that used Ketcher to develop a
COVID-19 treatment, aiming for a cost-effective, unpatented formula any
pharmaceutical company could produce globally. Our team's redesign directly
supported this work.

## Results

- Cut task time (e.g. drawing and exporting) by ~30% in internal testing
- Positive feedback from contributors: "This makes onboarding so much easier"
- The new UI is now featured as the default demo in EPAM Life Sciences Open Source — EPAM presents it to prospective clients as a showcase of what the team can deliver

---

Previous case: [Cutover Management](https://semyonkuznetsov.com/projects/cutover-management.md)
· Next case: [JDN — Test Automation Plugin](https://semyonkuznetsov.com/projects/jdn-plugin.md)