UX & Design Project
Newsletters
Newsletters
Project Overview
Role: UX & Lead Designer
Team: Digital Team | Communications Office
Timeline: 2024 – 2025
Tools: Adobe Creative Suite, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Problem
The Office of Communications and External Relations manages four newsletters — two internal and two external — that required redesign and implementation within Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform.
Users
Primary users: content creators (communications office)
responsible for building weekly newsletters
need ready-to-use templates to build weekly newsletters on that are easy to digest
Secondary users: readers
Internal audience for internal facing communications: faculty, staff
External audiences that are interested in medical and science news
Challenges
Designing layouts that work for both internal and external audiences
Creating flexible templates to support varying article blurb lengths without breaking visual hierarchy
Ensuring templates work across all devices
Working within Salesforce Marketing Cloud restraints
Allowing non-designers to easily build and send newsletters without making adjustments to layouts
Process
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I started by reviewing the existing newsletters to identify content layout and pain points in the publishing workflow. I met with key members of the communications team to identify sending frequency of newsletters, target audiences, and gaps in current template designs. We knew moving forward that all templates moving forward would be build using Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
This clarified:
Necessary content blocks (example: header, featured stories with images, events, call to actions, social media plugs)
Editing constraints within Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Reducing manual formatting before pushing newsletters
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I created low-fidelity wireframes after reviewing the content and workflow requirements. I focused on:
Establishing information hierarchy
Creating flexible templates for different content lengths
Maintaining scannability for mobile readers
After the creation of wireframes, I had them reviewed with stakeholders to confirm content placement and usability.
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I translated the wireframes into high-fidelity mock ups that aligned with brand guidelines and accessibility needs. I focused on:
Refining typography
Fine-tuning spacing
Defining styles
Consistent design across all three newsletters
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Final designs were built within Salesforce Marketing Cloud using modular template structures that allow editors to easily add or update content. I tested templates across email clients and screen sizes with my team to check and ensure consistent design and readability.
Outcomes
The new templates have improved in content hierarchy, brand marketing, and helping readers quickly digest information relating to headlines, featured stories, and calls to action for both internal and external newsletters. Layouts were created to be optimized for consistent experiences across devices.
