About the project
When parts didn't meet specs, Xometry's returns process fell apart. Customers emailed support and waited days without updates. Case Managers triaged through back-and-forth emails while losing track of cases across duplicate Salesforce tickets. Sourcing Specialists manually recreated orders because the system couldn't reopen orders that had been completed. Through research with all stakeholders- customers, internal teams, and manufacturing partners- I identified the core friction points and designed an end-to-end Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) management system. Customers could now report issues through a structured form, while staff gained a centralized queue to manage and resolve cases efficiently.
Role:
Lead UX Designer and Researcher
Tools:
Figma, FigJam, Dovetail, Otter.ai
Team:
1 Product Manager, 2 Software Engineers
Timeline:
March 2024 - November 2024
Xometry's returns process relied on fragmented manual workflows that created communication gaps and operational bottlenecks.
Uncover pain points in the returns workflow and design a unified RMA tool for customers and Case Managers.
Uncover the pain points customers and Case Managers face in the current returns workflow and design an end-to-end RMA reporting tool that enables customers to submit concerns directly while giving Case Managers centralized tools to action rework or remake orders efficiently.
Understanding Our Users
We began by conducting user interviews with two critical groups: the internal Case Management and Sourcing team members who handled RMA requests, and customers who had recently gone through the returns process.
Staff Insights
Through shadowing and interviews with Case Managers and Sourcing Specialists, we uncovered significant operational inefficiencies.
Many Touchpoints to Reach Resolution
Some cases must go through several teams before decisioning can occur leading to slowdowns
Excessive Comms Create Bottlenecks
Some cases must go through several teams before decisioning can occur leading to slowdowns
Too Many Cases to Organize and Manage
Multiple contacts generate multiple, unrelated Salesforce cases leading to lost or mismanaged cases
Customer Insights
Interviews with customers who had received RMAs in the past six months revealed significant frustration with the returns process.
Long Response and Resolution Times
3-5+ days on average for official resolution despite receiving initial response within 24 hours
Low Visibility Into Resolution Status
No way to track progress on the RMA outside of waiting for final resolution email
Downward Sentiment Trends
Many customers reported that the resolution isn't worth waiting for, some even opting to rework the part themselves
These findings pointed to a clear solution: create a self-service portal for customers to report issues directly, while giving staff better tools to manage and resolve RMAs when needed. Both paths would share the same underlying data structure to ensure consistency and eliminate the manual workarounds slowing everyone down.
Aligning on Technical Architecture
Before jumping into design, I needed to understand the technical complexity of introducing RMAs as a new domain on our platform. I facilitated an Event Storming workshop with our Product Manager and Lead Engineer to collaboratively map out the system's domain events, commands, and workflows.
Through this exercise, we identified two critical workflow paths: creating RMA parts that would be sourced to the original manufacturer versus sourcing to a new partner. We also uncovered a key technical constraint: our architecture didn't allow reopening completed orders, meaning any rework or remake would require creating entirely new orders.
Translating Events into User Flows & Lo-Fis
With the domain events mapped, I began translating these technical workflows into user-facing experiences. A key consideration emerged: while we wanted to encourage self-service RMA submissions through the customer portal, we couldn't eliminate the manual staff workflow entirely. Case Managers still needed the ability to create RMAs when customers reached out via email or when Account Executives escalated concerns internally.
Staff User Flow & Lo-fis
Customer User Flow & Lo-fis
These early lo-fi flows helped us visualize the decision points where users would interact with the system, whether they were customers reporting issues or Case Managers actioning resolutions. By mapping these touchpoints early, we could take it back to the team to validate that both experiences aligned with their perspectives as well as our system capabilities before investing in development.
What We Delivered
We designed and shipped a dual-path RMA system that serves both self-service customers and staff handling escalated cases.
Staff Experience: Manual RMA Creation
Case Managers can create RMAs manually from the order details page in the ERP when customers reach out via email or Account Executives escalate concerns internally. The flow mirrors the customer form structure, allowing staff to evaluate issues, determine resolutions (refund, rework, or remake), and create orders with pre-populated details—all without recreating orders across disconnected systems.
Customer Experience: Self-Service RMA Reporting
Customers report quality issues directly from their order details page through a guided form. They select affected line items, specify issue types, upload photos, and receive immediate confirmation with case tracking details. This eliminates back-and-forth emails and gives customers transparency into their RMA status.
Impact
The RMA portal launched successfully, and early data showed significant improvements in resolution efficiency and customer adoption.
Usage
47%
efficiency
30%
satisfaction
86%
By collecting complete information upfront through the structured form, we eliminated the back-and-forth triage communication that previously delayed resolutions. Customers could submit all necessary details- line items, issue types, photos- in one go, allowing Case Managers to make faster decisions. The high CSAT score and conversion rate validated that the self-service experience was both intuitive and effective.