A case study blueprintRivian · internal tool
Cutting chargeback resolution time by 60% for Rivian
TL;DR
At Rivian, engineers were struggling to manage chargebacks for damaged electric vehicle (EV) parts from suppliers, using a mess of spreadsheets, emails, and threads. I led the UX (user experience) process for a tool that centralized that work: within 90 days, chargeback resolution got 60% faster and 47% of suppliers had no repeat chargebacks.
−60%
Faster chargeback resolution for damaged EV parts
47%
Of suppliers had no repeat chargebacks within 90 days
340
Chargebacks processed within 90 days
Context
At Rivian, engineers were struggling to manage chargebacks for damaged electric vehicle parts from suppliers, using a mess of spreadsheets, emails, and threads.
This was slowing down production by delaying part replacements and creating friction with suppliers.
Opportunity
Help engineers manage damaged parts, communicate with suppliers, and track chargebacks to avoid repeat issues.
Approach
I led research, wireframing, prototyping, testing, and developer handoff, collaborating with the PM (product manager) and developers.
I mapped the end-to-end damaged-part workflow through user interviews and surveys, partnering with product and engineering.
No standard process existed
While consolidating user needs, one major challenge was agreeing on a chargeback resolution workflow: every engineer had their own way of handling it, and there was no standard process.
To address that, the PM and I created two short workflow versions that captured the essential steps and were easy to implement.
We presented both options to engineers, gathered feedback, and iterated until we reached a simple, standardized flow everyone could align on.
Draft A
- Report damage by email
- Engineer opens a spreadsheet row
- Thread with supplier
- Manual follow-up
Draft B
- Report damage in chat
- Engineer logs a ticket
- Call with supplier
- Manual follow-up
Standardized flow
- Report damage in the tool
- Chargeback record created
- Supplier notified and tracked
- Resolution logged
Delivery
- Sketched low-fidelity wireframes and validated them with engineers
- Ran quick feedback loops to refine usability and interaction
- Delivered a clean, integrated module on Rivian's internal platform
Outcome
Within 90 days of release, 8 internal engineers and 19 suppliers had used the tool, processing around 340 chargebacks. In that period, we saw these improvements:
Chargeback resolution went from 5 days to 2 days, 60% faster for damaged EV parts.
−60%
Faster chargeback resolution
47%
Of suppliers had no repeat chargebacks
340
Chargebacks processed
19
Suppliers using the tool
All chargebacks centralized into a single, trackable flow.
Next, I would look into why over half of suppliers still had repeat chargebacks.
End of tape
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