diff --git a/src/components/LabView.tsx b/src/components/LabView.tsx
index 70a1fbe..d3f5a6a 100644
--- a/src/components/LabView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/LabView.tsx
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import Cuvette from "./icons/Cuvette";
 import styles from "./labview.module.css";
 import classNames from "classnames";
 import ScaleBar from "./ScaleBar";
-import VisibilityControl from "./shared/VisibilityControl";
 import { Module } from "../types";
 
 const LabView: React.FC = () => {
@@ -18,7 +17,7 @@ const LabView: React.FC = () => {
         getAgentColor,
         productName,
     } = useSimulariumSimulation();
-    const { page, module } = useSimulariumUi();
+    const { module, page, setViewportType } = useSimulariumUi();
     const color = getAgentColor(productName);
     const colorGradient = useMemo(() => {
         const rainbow = new Rainbow();
@@ -26,21 +25,42 @@ const LabView: React.FC = () => {
         return rainbow;
     }, [color]);
     const position = (currentProductionConcentration / maxConcentration) * 100;
-    return (
-        <div
-            className={classNames([
-                styles.container,
-                { [styles.top]: page === 1 && module === Module.A_B_AB },
-            ])}
-        >
-            <VisibilityControl excludedPages={{ [Module.A_B_AB]: [1] }}>
-                <ScaleBar productColor={color} />
-            </VisibilityControl>
-            <div className={styles.cuvette}>
-                <Cuvette color={colorGradient.colorAt(position)} />
+    const isIntroPage = page === 1 && module === Module.A_B_AB;
+
+    if (isIntroPage) {
+        // shows the full screen illustrated cuvette on the first page of the first module
+        return (
+            <div className={classNames(styles.container, styles.top)}>
+                <div className={styles.cuvette}>
+                    <Cuvette color={colorGradient.colorAt(position)} />
+                </div>
+            </div>
+        );
+    } else {
+        return (
+            <div className={styles.inset}>
+                <div className={styles.insetLabel}>
+                    <span>In the wet lab</span>
+                    <button
+                        className={styles.insetClose}
+                        onClick={setViewportType}
+                        aria-label="Close lab view"
+                    >
+                        ×
+                    </button>
+                </div>
+                <div className={styles.insetBody}>
+                    <ScaleBar
+                        productColor={color}
+                        className={styles.scaleBarInset}
+                    />
+                    <div className={styles.insetCuvette}>
+                        <Cuvette color={colorGradient.colorAt(position)} />
+                    </div>
+                </div>
             </div>
-        </div>
-    );
+        );
+    }
 };
 
 export default LabView;
diff --git a/src/components/ScaleBar.tsx b/src/components/ScaleBar.tsx
index e34fc33..0915564 100644
--- a/src/components/ScaleBar.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ScaleBar.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import React from "react";
+import classNames from "classnames";
 
 import styles from "./scalebar.module.css";
 import { MICRO } from "../constants";
@@ -6,9 +7,10 @@ import { useSimulariumSimulation } from "../hooks/useSimulationContext";
 
 interface ScaleBarProps {
     productColor: string;
+    className?: string;
 }
 
-const ScaleBar: React.FC<ScaleBarProps> = ({ productColor }) => {
+const ScaleBar: React.FC<ScaleBarProps> = ({ className, productColor }) => {
     const { maxConcentration } = useSimulariumSimulation();
     const labelArray = [];
     const interval = maxConcentration / 5;
@@ -17,7 +19,7 @@ const ScaleBar: React.FC<ScaleBarProps> = ({ productColor }) => {
     }
     return (
         <div
-            className={styles.container}
+            className={classNames(styles.container, className)}
             role="img"
             aria-label={`Color key for the cuvette. The lowest concentration (white) is 0 ${MICRO}M and the highest concentration (yellow) is ${maxConcentration} ${MICRO}M.`}
         >
@@ -29,8 +31,6 @@ const ScaleBar: React.FC<ScaleBarProps> = ({ productColor }) => {
                 ))}
             </div>
             <div
-                // inlined this style because the agent color is in javascript
-                // and I want to avoid defining it in both places
                 style={{
                     background: `linear-gradient(0deg, #ffffff 0%, ${productColor} 100%)`,
                 }}
diff --git a/src/components/ViewSwitch.tsx b/src/components/ViewSwitch.tsx
index 71ff600..7a8487a 100644
--- a/src/components/ViewSwitch.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ViewSwitch.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ const ViewSwitch: React.FC = () => {
 
     const isFirstPageOfFirstModule =
         page === FIRST_PAGE[module] + 1 && module === Module.A_B_AB;
+    const isLabViewOpen = viewportType === ViewType.Lab;
 
     let buttonStyle: React.CSSProperties = {
         top: 16,
@@ -44,26 +45,32 @@ const ViewSwitch: React.FC = () => {
 
     return (
         <div style={{ position: "relative", height: "100%" }}>
-            <VisibilityControl notInBonusMaterial>
+            <VisibilityControl
+                notInBonusMaterial
+                excludedPages={{ [Module.A_B_AB]: [2] }}
+            >
                 <ProgressionControl elementId={VIEW_SWITCH_ID}>
                     <OverlayButton
+                        active={isLabViewOpen && !isFirstPageOfFirstModule}
                         onClick={setViewportType}
                         style={buttonStyle}
                         icon={
-                            viewportType === ViewType.Lab ? (
+                            isFirstPageOfFirstModule && isLabViewOpen ? (
                                 <Molecules />
                             ) : (
                                 <LabIcon />
                             )
                         }
                     >
-                        {viewportType === ViewType.Lab ? "Molecular" : "Lab"}{" "}
-                        view
+                        {/* on the first page we show text, but on other pages we just show the icon */}
+                        {isFirstPageOfFirstModule
+                            ? `${isLabViewOpen ? "Simulation" : "Lab"} view`
+                            : null}
                     </OverlayButton>
                 </ProgressionControl>
             </VisibilityControl>
             <PlayButton />
-            {viewportType === ViewType.Lab ? <LabView /> : null}
+            {isLabViewOpen ? <LabView /> : null}
             <Viewer
                 isPlaying={isPlaying}
                 setIsPlaying={setIsPlaying}
diff --git a/src/components/labview.module.css b/src/components/labview.module.css
index 9eac86c..1e1e861 100644
--- a/src/components/labview.module.css
+++ b/src/components/labview.module.css
@@ -24,3 +24,81 @@
     position: absolute;
     width: 95px;
 }
+
+/* ── Inset panel (all pages except intro) ──────────────── */
+
+.inset {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 58px;
+    right: 16px;
+    width: 210px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--app-border-color);
+    overflow: hidden;
+    z-index: var(--bottom);
+    border-radius: 4px;
+}
+
+/* Blurred lab background image behind inset content */
+.inset::before {
+    content: "";
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    background-image: url("../assets/ipub-bg_4.png");
+    background-size: cover;
+    background-position: center;
+    filter: blur(3px);
+    transform: scale(1.1); /* prevents blurred edges from bleeding to border */
+    z-index: 0;
+}
+
+.insetLabel {
+    position: relative;
+    z-index: 1;
+    padding: 6px 8px 4px;
+    font-size: 12px;
+    font-weight: 600;
+    color: var(--primary-color);
+    border-bottom: 1px solid var(--app-border-color);
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: space-between;
+}
+
+.insetClose {
+    background: none;
+    border: none;
+    color: var(--primary-color);
+    cursor: pointer;
+    font-size: 14px;
+    line-height: 1;
+    padding: 0 0 0 8px;
+    opacity: 0.7;
+}
+
+.insetClose:hover {
+    opacity: 1;
+}
+
+.insetBody {
+    position: relative;
+    z-index: 1;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: row;
+    align-items: flex-end;
+    padding: 8px;
+    gap: 8px;
+    /* 166px = scale bar height; 24px = top+bottom padding */
+    height: 190px;
+}
+
+/* Override ScaleBar's absolute positioning so it participates in flex layout */
+.scaleBarInset {
+    position: static !important;
+    bottom: unset !important;
+    right: unset !important;
+}
+
+.insetCuvette {
+    width: 70px;
+    flex-shrink: 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/components/shared/ButtonLibrary.tsx b/src/components/shared/ButtonLibrary.tsx
index 7a17c9a..5f17413 100644
--- a/src/components/shared/ButtonLibrary.tsx
+++ b/src/components/shared/ButtonLibrary.tsx
@@ -75,12 +75,13 @@ export const IconButton: React.FC<IconButtonProps> = (props) => {
 };
 
 interface OverlayButtonProps extends React.ComponentProps<typeof AntdButton> {
+    active?: boolean;
     children?: React.ReactNode;
     style?: React.CSSProperties;
 }
 
 export const OverlayButton: React.FC<OverlayButtonProps> = (props) => {
-    const { style } = props;
+    const { active, style } = props;
     let buttonStyle: React.CSSProperties = {
         position: "absolute",
         zIndex: zStacking.viewerOverlay,
@@ -89,5 +90,12 @@ export const OverlayButton: React.FC<OverlayButtonProps> = (props) => {
     if (style) {
         buttonStyle = { ...buttonStyle, ...style };
     }
-    return <TertiaryButton size="large" {...props} style={buttonStyle} />;
+    return (
+        <TertiaryButton
+            size="large"
+            {...props}
+            className={classNames(props.className, { [styles.active]: active })}
+            style={buttonStyle}
+        />
+    );
 };
diff --git a/src/components/shared/VisibilityControl.tsx b/src/components/shared/VisibilityControl.tsx
index 46d0c4d..eb1f8a1 100644
--- a/src/components/shared/VisibilityControl.tsx
+++ b/src/components/shared/VisibilityControl.tsx
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const VisibilityControl: React.FC<VisibilityControlProps> = ({
 
     let shouldRender = true;
 
-    if (includedPages) {
+    if (includedPages && module in includedPages) {
         shouldRender = includedPages[module]?.includes(page) ?? false;
     } else if (excludedPages) {
         shouldRender = !excludedPages[module]?.includes(page);
diff --git a/src/components/shared/button-library.module.css b/src/components/shared/button-library.module.css
index 86c429e..c109d9f 100644
--- a/src/components/shared/button-library.module.css
+++ b/src/components/shared/button-library.module.css
@@ -37,6 +37,17 @@
     transition: color 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1);
 }
 
+/* Filled-in state for a toggle-style overlay button, e.g. to show it's currently active/open */
+.tertiary.active {
+    background: var(--light-purple) !important;
+    border-color: var(--light-purple) !important;
+    color: var(--background-color) !important;
+}
+
+.tertiary.active :global(.custom-icon) {
+    color: var(--background-color) !important;
+}
+
 .icon {
     width: 12px !important;
     min-width: 12px !important;
diff --git a/src/content/HighAffinity.tsx b/src/content/HighAffinity.tsx
index 8f2218c..e224636 100644
--- a/src/content/HighAffinity.tsx
+++ b/src/content/HighAffinity.tsx
@@ -104,23 +104,6 @@ export const highAffinityContentArray: PageContent[] = [
         layout: LayoutType.LiveSimulation,
         progressionElement: VIEW_SWITCH_ID,
     },
-    {
-        content: (
-            <>
-                The clear liquid is slowly turning yellow as the simulation
-                progresses, but it is taking a long time to change. Can you
-                estimate the concentration of <AB /> ?
-            </>
-        ),
-        callToAction: (
-            <>
-                Click <strong>Molecular view</strong> to switch back.
-            </>
-        ),
-        section: Section.Introduction,
-        layout: LayoutType.LiveSimulation,
-        progressionElement: VIEW_SWITCH_ID,
-    },
     {
         content: (
             <>
@@ -161,21 +144,6 @@ export const highAffinityContentArray: PageContent[] = [
         layout: LayoutType.LiveSimulation,
         progressionElement: PLAY_BUTTON_ID,
     },
-    {
-        content: (
-            <>Randomizing the positions is simulating a well-mixed solution.</>
-        ),
-        callToAction: (
-            <>
-                Click <strong>Lab view</strong> to see what the cuvette looks
-                like now.
-            </>
-        ),
-
-        section: Section.Introduction,
-        layout: LayoutType.LiveSimulation,
-        progressionElement: VIEW_SWITCH_ID,
-    },
     {
         content: (
             <>
@@ -186,14 +154,14 @@ export const highAffinityContentArray: PageContent[] = [
         ),
         callToAction: (
             <>
-                Click <strong>Molecular view</strong> to switch back to the
-                simulation.
+                When you're done observing the color changes to the solution in
+                the cuvette, <strong>pause</strong> the simulation to move on.
             </>
         ),
 
         section: Section.Introduction,
         layout: LayoutType.LiveSimulation,
-        progressionElement: VIEW_SWITCH_ID,
+        progressionElement: PLAY_BUTTON_ID,
     },
     {
         title: "Start the experiment",