ThermoFisher Case Management System
CASE STUDYIntroduction
Leveraging my UX strategy skills I designed this unified case management system from the ground up to streamline collaboration across multiple departments, reduce friction, and accelerate resolution times — all within a tight delivery window.
Human-Centered Discovery
Facilitated Design Thinking workshops with stakeholders from legal, compliance, and customer service to define shared needs and reimagine how “a case” should function across the enterprise.
Cross-Functional Innovation
Built consensus across silos and led the UI/UX design process to support real-time, multi-department collaboration inside a modern, scalable digital ecosystem.
Quick Snapshot
- Role: UX Lead & Interim Product Manager
- Timeline: 12 months
- Tools: Figma, Miro, Luma, Jira
- Results:
- 30% reduction in task handling time
- Task Success Rate improved from 68% ➝ 92% (measured via in-app analytics)
Navigating the obstacle course
The Challenge
Customer service reps at ThermoFisher were failing to resolve cases on the first touch 45% of the time. They relied on up to 10 disconnected applications to resolve a single issue—a clear indicator our UX needed improvement. Interdepartmental communication was slow, siloed, and depended heavily on outdated legacy systems. The need: design a unified case management system that could centralize workflow, enhance collaboration, and support a smooth transition from the mainframe—all on a tight timeline.
In addition, the project faced significant challenges, including low UX maturity and conflicting workflows across departments. The tight timeline added pressure to deliver a solution that was both innovative and functional, requiring a strategic approach to design and implementation. Addressing these challenges involved a deep dive into user needs, iterative design processes, and collaboration across teams to ensure the final product met all requirements and exceeded expectations.
My Role
Lead UX Designer/Interim Product Manager
As UX Lead within the Digital Front Office team, I was responsible for designing the new case management system from scratch. I also stepped in as interim product manager after the PM’s sudden departure. I led weekly Design Thinking workshops across departments, interviewed SMEs, mentored junior designers, and coordinated system knowledge gathering, prototyping, testing, and delivery.
The Approach
Strategic Design Methodology
We Used Design Thinking to Guide Discovery, Ideation, and Validation
Research.
- Conducted stakeholder interviews and analyzed existing workflows, business rules, and documentation to understand the current state.
Empathize.
- Co-led design workshops and conducted SME interviews to understand goals, workflows, and frustrations.
Define.
- Collaborated to clarify what a “case” meant, mapped the case lifecycle, and identified the MVP.
Ideate.
- Sketched concepts, mapped user/system flows, and created interactive wireframes.
Prototype & Test.
- Conducted usability testing with real users, iterated based on feedback, and validated flows with engineering.
Deliver.
- Used sprint-based delivery to build a unified case dashboard, case card system, and interface for interdepartmental collaboration.
- Defined UX KPIs (e.g. Task Success, Time-on‑Task, Error Rate), and set baseline metrics via analytics before prototyping.
This wasn’t just a design sprint — it was a strategic reinvention. By blending deep stakeholder research, iterative design thinking, and sprint-based execution, we transformed an outdated customer service process into a unified digital ecosystem. The result: improved collaboration, higher efficiency, and a UX-driven culture shift in a highly regulated, enterprise environment.
Project Gallery
UI/UX & Process Artifacts
CMdashboard01
Figure 1 – Case Management Dashboard Final Design
CMcasecard01
CMcasehistory01
CMemail01
IMG-20231121-WA0014
IMG-20231121-WA0010
CM-warehouse-flow
Figure 5 – Warehouse Flow
Thermo-CM-Base-Userflow
Figure 4 – Base User Flow v2
CM OutsystemsFlow
Figure 6 – Outsystems/Genesys/Salesforce Integration
CMbasicFlow
Figure 3 – Base User Flow v1
Thermo-CM-WheresMyStuff-Flow
Figure 2 – Cross-department User Flow
CM Platform-level Flow Updated September 13, 2024
Figure 1 – Platform-level Flow v1
Thermo-CM-Base-Userflow
Results & Insights
%
30%+ reduction in average handling time (AHT)
2214 of 2768 users projected to migrate off the mainframe by Q2 2024
%
Interdepartmental communication improved 28% with real-time case collaboration and commenting
%
Task Success Rate increased 48%
Average Time‑on‑Task dropped from 14 min to 9 min
%
User‑reported error rate declined by 18%
Results Summary
As a result, department-wide case resolution time improved by 30%, aligning us to company SLA goals. And while NPS wasn’t directly within the UX team’s remit, post‑project customer surveys showed a +10‑point increase in satisfaction for case management workflows, consistent with improved task success and reduced friction. UX played a key role in driving that lift.
Bonus Achievements
One of the biggest mindset shifts came when we visualized all department workflows together during workshops. Each team assumed theirs was unique—until they saw the overlap. That’s when real collaboration began.
Stakeholder Testimonials
Doug’s proficiency in design facilitation allowed him to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams, ensuring that all stakeholders were aligned on the product vision and goals.
-Brent Bowers, Sr. Manager User Experience, ThermoFisher Scientific
I didn’t know UX could bring this much clarity to a cross-department system. This helped us move faster and think smarter.
-Sunnie Fenk, IT Business Relationship Partner, ThermoFisher Scientific
Doug brought structure to chaos. His ability to lead design thinking sessions across multiple departments gave us a system that actually works the way we do. This project would have stalled without his leadership
-Jigna Bhakta, Commercial Digital, User Experience & Automation Director, ThermoFisher Scientific
