Intro

Context

Solutions

Process

Outcomes

Retrospective

Cura Cloud

UltiMaker

|

2024

We brought Cura's powerful slicing engine to the web and redesigned the interface around clarity and guardrails to ensure success from the first print.

slice

/slayhs/

verb

The process of converting a 3D model into a set of instructions that a 3D printer can understand and execute.

The software takes the 3D model and breaks it down into thin, horizontal layers - like a loaf of bread.

slice

/slayhs/

verb

The process of converting a 3D model into a set of instructions that a 3D printer can understand and execute.

The software takes the 3D model and breaks it down into thin, horizontal layers - like a loaf of bread.

slice

/slayhs/

verb

The process of converting a 3D model into a set of instructions that a 3D printer can understand and execute.

Role

Lead Designer — Product Strategy, User Research, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Prototyping, Usability Testing

Development

2023 - Present

Release

Q4 2024 (Initial Launch)

Team

PM — Rob Veldkamp, Mariska Maas

ENG — Jelle Spijker, Casper Lamboo, Saumya Jain, Alireza Doustdar, Daniel Mirabolghasemi, Paul Boelens, Simon Edwards, Alexander David, Leor Freedman, Devin Sewell

I was the sole designer for the end-to-end design effort for Cura Cloud, including product strategy, interaction and visual design, prototyping, and ongoing user research.

I collaborated closely with front-end engineers to develop and extend our design system with shared and product-specific components.

Problem & Context

K-12 and managed IT environments often block installs. Even when Cura Desktop is available, novices hit configuration traps (material/nozzle mismatches, missed warnings) that derail first prints.

The goal: Bring Cura to the browser and redesign around clarity and guardrails so new users can go from model → print quickly and confidently.

Cura Cloud reduces complexity and removes installation barriers.

Key Product Solutions

Model and Build Plate Toolbars

4 months

Contextual, touch-friendly controls replace the old right-click menu, surfacing only the actions that match the selection. Predictive states (e.g., Group when multi-select, ungroup only when group selected,) reduce mis-clicks and keep the print area clear—especially on small screens.

Compact, touch-optimized controls separate individual model adjustments from build-plate.

Right sidebar for printer settings and preview tools

3 months

Persistent right sidebar so printer configuration, settings and validation stay contained and visible while arranging models—speeding “prepare → slice.”

Task-based sidebar focused around workflow and surfacing relevant information

Centralized Error Framework for Fail Prevention

1 month

All issues appear in a central error panel before slicing, organized into blockers (must fix) and warnings (recommended fixes), with actionable remedies.

Every warning explains the cause and offers a remedy.

Process snapshots

Defining the MVP

We ran monthly story-mapping workshops to lock the launch-critical path: import a model, position/orient/scale, select printer/material, print profile, slice, and preview

Advanced features were intentionally deferred to protect time-to-launch.

Iterating with Research and Data

Weekly moderated tests with internal/external users, paired with usage data from Matomo, showed us where people stalled and why

Weekly moderated tests with internal/ external users, paired with usage data from Matomo, showed us where people stalled and why

Dual lens: observation + telemetry to target real friction.

Compact Controls. Bigger print area.

We designed compact, accessible components to keep the print area front and center.

We standardized components in our shared library (Storybook) so teams can drop them into any screen—speeding delivery and keeping behavior consistent.

Immediate fit; reusable across apps.

Outcomes and Impact

Cura Cloud was launched within our print management platform Digital Factory in Q1 2025.

This evolved Digital Factory into a browser-native single surface application for end-to-end 3D printing workflows.

Monthly active slice events grew +20.5× (3.0K → 61.4K) between January and October 2025 after flow and discovery improvements.

What I'd do next

Thingiverse Integration

From the ground up, Cura Cloud was designed to extend beyond Digital Factory.

This enables future integrations across UltiMaker’s wider ecosystem, including community platforms like Thingiverse—the world’s largest free 3D-file repository with over two million registered users.

Embedded experiences could unify creation, preparation, and printing for millions of users