UltiMaker: One Platform, Many Possibilities, 3D Printing Evolved by Dominik Strykowski

UltiMaker: One Platform, Many Possibilities, 3D Printing Evolved

Dominik Strykowski

UX Designer

Product Designer

Design Systems Specialist

Dovetail

Figma

Jira

UltiMaker is a global leader in professional 3D printing solutions, formed by the merger of MakerBot and Ultimaker in 2022. With a significant market presence in both professional and educational sectors, the company serves over 300,000 users worldwide, ranging from individual makers to large industrial manufacturers.

Their ecosystem includes desktop 3D printers, specialized software like Cura, and cloud-based management platforms, positioning them at the forefront of accessible manufacturing technology.

Timeline: 2 years

Live Link: https://ultimaker.com/

Work

Challenges

⚠️ Product Migration

Seamlessly transition users from MakerBot's legacy CloudPrint software to UltiMaker's new Digital Factory platform following the company merger.

⚠️ Brand Transformation

Implement a new brand identity across the user interface, modernizing design elements and creating a cohesive visual experience.

⚠️ Design System Development

Create a comprehensive design system with reusable components that could be applied across UltiMaker's product family.

⚠️ Scalable User Experience

Design an interface that effectively serves users across diverse scales - from hobbyist makers with 1-2 printers to large corporate print farms with over 20 printers.

Digital Factory Home

Print Jobs Management screen

Design Process

📌 User-Centered Research

Our team conducted extensive interviews that went beyond surface-level feedback, diving into the nuanced workflows of 3D printing users.

We captured insights from hobbyists, small businesses, and large enterprise clients, ensuring our design would truly address diverse user needs.

📌 Design Validation

I developed detailed user flows and created interactive prototypes that brought our concepts to life. These prototypes weren't just static representations but dynamic tools for validation.

We conducted multiple feedback sessions with the development team and key stakeholders, using each iteration to refine and improve the design.

📌 Collaboration

I maintained open, constant communication with technical teams, ensuring that our innovative design concepts were not just visionary but also technically feasible.

Users Management in Digital Factory

Solution

✅ Product Migration Strategy

The migration of 10,000 users from CloudPrint to Digital Factory was a carefully orchestrated process. We designed a specialized migration user flow that guided users seamlessly through the transition.

By creating an intuitive migration path, we minimized user confusion and maintained trust during the platform change.

✅ Brand Transformation

I led the complete redesign of the user interface, ensuring every element reflected the new brand essence.

This went beyond mere aesthetic changes – I developed a robust Design System that would serve as the foundation for consistent visual language across all product interfaces.

✅ Adaptive User Experience

Recognizing that a hobbyist with two printers has different needs than a large print farm, I designed a UI that automatically adjusts based on the number of connected printers.

For users with fewer printers, the interface prioritizes simplicity, such as displaying printer camera previews by default.

As the number of printers increases, the interface scales to provide more comprehensive management tools, ensuring an optimal experience for every user type.

Managing Fleet of Printers in Digital Factory

Outcomes

The Digital Factory project represented a significant leap forward for UltiMaker's digital ecosystem. By successfully migrating 10,000 users from the legacy CloudPrint platform, we demonstrated the power of thoughtful, user-centered design.

The new platform not only preserved existing user workflows but enhanced them, providing a more intuitive and flexible experience across different user scales.

Digital Factory Empty State

MakerBot Education Experience

UltiMaker Design System

The newly created Design System became a cornerstone of UltiMaker's design approach, establishing a consistent visual and interaction language that could be applied across web, firmware, and software platforms.

This standardization reduced design and development friction, enabling faster iteration and more cohesive product experiences.

Moreover, the adaptive interface we developed proved particularly impactful, showing how intelligent design can accommodate diverse user needs without compromising usability.

UltiMaker Design System colors

Design system Documentation

UltiMaker Design System Buttons Documentation

Subscription Portal Redesign

⚠️ The Challenge

The subscription management system within Digital Factory presented a unique challenge. The existing process was fragmented, requiring involvement from multiple departments and creating unnecessary complexity for both users and internal teams.

Managing subscriptions wasn't just complicated – it was a barrier to efficient business operations and user satisfaction.

Subscription Management Page

📌 Design Approach

My approach focused on streamlining the entire subscription lifecycle.

By analyzing existing workflows, I identified opportunities to reduce touchpoints and simplify user interactions. The goal was to create a self-service system that would be immediately familiar to users through consistent patterns and interactions.

I designed the system with scalability in mind. While initially focused on Digital Factory workspace management, the architecture was built to accommodate future product offerings.

This forward-thinking approach meant creating flexible components and workflows that could adapt to new subscription types and billing models.

Subscription Portal Home Page

Solution

The redesigned Subscription Portal brought significant improvements to several key areas:

✅ Payment Processing and Billing: I simplified the payment workflow and redesigned the billing system to provide clearer invoicing and transparent pricing information. Users could now manage their subscriptions with minimal friction, reducing support requests and administrative overhead.

✅ Pattern Recognition: By implementing consistent interaction patterns throughout the portal, users could confidently navigate and manage their subscriptions. This familiarity reduced learning curves and increased user confidence in performing subscription-related tasks.

✅ Financial Integration: The new system bridged critical gaps in UltiMaker's financial operations. It organized subscription data in a way that was both accessible to customers and valuable for internal financial reporting. This improved data organization helped streamline financial processes and provided better visibility into subscription metrics.

Accomodating edge case situations

Pricing Plans

Impact

The redesigned Subscription Portal transformed what was once a complex, multi-department process into a streamlined, user-friendly system.

It not only improved the current subscription management experience but laid the groundwork for UltiMaker's future product offerings.

The system's success in organizing financial data and reducing administrative overhead demonstrated how thoughtful design could solve both user and business challenges simultaneously.

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Posted Dec 29, 2024

Merged two complex 3D printing platforms into a single, user-friendly digital ecosystem that works for everyone from hobbyists to large print farms.

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