<- Case 1
Salesforce CJM
Focus:
Research, Workflow analysis, Cross-functional alignmentCase type:
Service workflow optimizationRole:
Product Design ManagerTimeline:1 weeks
Project Overview
A Tech Support manager came to the UX team asking to redesign the Salesforce ticket interface — support engineers were spending too much time resolving tickets. Before jumping into mockups, I reframed the request. The problem wasn't just how one screen looked — it was about understanding where time was actually lost across the full ticket lifecycle: customer portal, ticket creation, email threads, comments, meetings, knowledge base, and SLA workflows.
This project expanded from a UI request into a systematic investigation of the entire support workflow, producing a prioritized optimization roadmap for cross-departmental improvement.
Exploration and Discovery
Survey — mapping the landscape
Together with the Tech Support manager, we ran a survey across the Support team (31 respondents — Tier 1, Tier 2, and Team Leads) to quantify pain points, frequency, and desired improvements before going deeper.
I also flagged practical constraints early — checking whether the Salesforce customization team had resources and what platform limitations existed. No point designing changes that can't be built.
Interviews — understanding the real workflow
Based on survey results, I conducted 1:1 interviews with support engineers across different tiers. Instead of asking opinions about the UI, I walked through real ticket scenarios — how they actually work a case from first report to resolution.
Synthesis & Solution
Workflow review
I synthesized all research into a Salesforce Workflow Review — a single-page summary showing the complete support workflow (Report → Ticket → Email → Comment → Meeting → Search), time consumption by tier, the emotional journey, and ranked critical roadblocks.
Optimization matrix
The final deliverable was a Salesforce Ticket Interface Optimization Matrix — a structured roadmap covering 10 areas (Interface, Communication, Comments, Ticket Management, SLA, Search, Integration, File Management, Scheduling, Customization), with specific issues, recommendations, and the responsible department for each.
Impact & Feedback
The project's impact was recognized across management and became an example of how UX research can improve operational processes beyond product design:
"I am floored by her speed, competence, wise counsel, and far-reaching concern for the big picture of the customer journey. I shared the results of a survey with her — less than 24 hours later, she walked me through her evaluation and next steps. I am stunned by both the quality of this work and the speed at which she produced it."
— Jake Mahon, Tech Support Manager"Jake came to us with a request to help redesign the ticket creation page. After a few questions, he got the idea that 'redesign' isn't about making things look nicer — it can really help optimize the process, remove barriers for the users, and drive the desired behaviors. I think we are not yet fully leveraging this capability of the UX Design team."
— Ilia Sotnikov, VP of User Experience Team
Learnings
The original request was one screen. By asking questions first, the project expanded to the entire support workflow — and the real bottlenecks turned out to be in areas nobody initially flagged. This reinforced something I carry into every project: reframe before you design.
The optimization matrix worked because it wasn't a research report — it was a roadmap with clear ownership per department, making it possible to act immediately. And the project as a whole reminded me that UX extends well beyond the product. Improving internal tools and workflows directly impacts customer experience, even when none of the work touches anything customer-facing.
<- Case 1
Katja Butorina
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