A system comprising a blood sample test device having a plurality of device contacts; and an elongated sensor strip comprising a plurality of test sites arranged in series on the strip in a travel direction in which the strip moves when advanced through the blood sample test device, wherein each test site includes a lancet hole through which a lancet can be injected into a subject's body, electrodes (41, 42) for determining a blood sample volume, and test electrodes (43, 44) for determining a blood sample characteristic; each test site comprising: a non-conductive substrate layer; a conductive layer on the substrate layer forming conductive pads (33, 34, 37, 45, 49, 53, 73) defined by non-conductive lines; and a non-conductive cover layer superposed on the conductive layer having a window exposing a plurality of the conductive pads, wherein the conductive pads are formed by depositing the conductive layer and etching the non-conductive lines to form a matrix of rows (21, 22, 23, 24) and columns (25, 26, 27, 28) of conductive pads, wherein the conductive pads are arranged into at least four columns extending along the travel direction and aligned with the respective device contacts for making electrical contact between the contact pads and the respective device contacts and into at least three rows spaced along the travel direction and corresponding to respective stop positions in a lancing/ sensing process, the stop positions being a lancing step position, a blood volume detection step position, and a blood characteristic sensing step position; and wherein each of the conductive pads has a leading edge in the travel direction of the strip, and the leading edge of at least a first of the conductive pads in one of the rows is, in respect of the travel direction, in front of a leading edge of a second of the conductive pads in the same row, so that electrical contact between the first conductive pad and the respectively aligned device contact is made before electrical contact is made between the second conductive pad and the device contact aligned with it. a non-conductive substrate layer; a conductive layer on the substrate layer forming conductive pads (33, 34, 37, 45, 49, 53, 73) defined by non-conductive lines; and a non-conductive cover layer superposed on the conductive layer having a window exposing a plurality of the conductive pads, wherein the conductive pads are formed by depositing the conductive layer and etching the non-conductive lines to form a matrix of rows (21, 22, 23, 24) and columns (25, 26, 27, 28) of conductive pads, wherein the conductive pads are arranged into at least four columns extending along the travel direction and aligned with the respective device contacts for making electrical contact between the contact pads and the respective device contacts and into at least three rows spaced along the travel direction and corresponding to respective stop positions in a lancing/ sensing process, the stop positions being a lancing step position, a blood volume detection step position, and a blood characteristic sensing step position; and wherein each of the conductive pads has a leading edge in the travel direction of the strip, and the leading edge of at least a first of the conductive pads in one of the rows is, in respect of the travel direction, in front of a leading edge of a second of the conductive pads in the same row, so that electrical contact between the first conductive pad and the respectively aligned device contact is made before electrical contact is made between the second conductive pad and the device contact aligned with it.