Case Study: eBay Email Design System + Toolkit
Role
Design Lead
Year
2023
Location
Remote
About
I led the creation of a dedicated Email Design System and Toolkit for eBay, addressing the need for consistent, scalable, and efficient email communication. The project involved designing modular components tailored for diverse email types, developing detailed documentation (e.g., Email Anatomy, Module Anatomy), and defining content frameworks that aligned with eBay's brand strategy. This work empowered global teams to create cohesive, high-impact emails while reducing time-to-market. By standardizing design and content practices, the system improved engagement metrics, optimized workflows, and ensured a unified brand presence across markets.
Challenges:
Diverse Use Cases: Emails had to support various goals, from marketing campaigns to transactional updates, requiring flexible yet consistent components.
Maintaining Brand Consistency: Ensuring alignment with eBay’s overall design system and visual identity.
Team Collaboration: Global teams required alignment on workflows, components, and messaging guidelines to scale effectively.
Efficiency: Designing a system that reduced repetitive efforts while remaining adaptable for local needs and evolving requirements.
Process:
Component Design:
Created a comprehensive library of reusable components, including marketing heroes, transactional modules, and grids tailored for responsive email layouts.
Focused on accessibility and branding to ensure designs worked across devices and markets.
Documentation Development:
Created comprehensive guides, including:
Email Anatomy: Detailed structure of email layouts, including primary, secondary, and tertiary content.
Module Anatomy: Responsive behavior, padding, and grid systems for modular components.
Toolkit Creation:
Developed templates and frameworks to support various email types (e.g., promotional, transactional).
Defined voice and tone guidelines to maintain cohesive messaging.
Collaboration:
Held regular workshops and syncs with global teams to align on goals and gather feedback.
Ensured that the Email Design System integrated seamlessly with the broader Evo Design System.
Outcomes:
Increased Efficiency: Reduced email creation time by 30% through reusable components and standardized templates.
Enhanced Engagement: Improved email click-through rates and user engagement by maintaining visual consistency and optimized layouts.
Global Adoption: Provided teams with clear, actionable guidelines that scaled across regions and use cases.
Unified Branding: Strengthened brand recognition through consistent design and messaging across all emails.
Key Takeaways
Scalability Matters: The system was designed to meet diverse global needs while maintaining a unified brand identity.
Documentation is Essential: Clear, accessible guidelines ensured teams could quickly adopt the system and use it effectively.
Collaboration Drives Success: Cross-functional alignment was critical to delivering a system that worked across regions and teams.
Challenges:
Diverse Use Cases: Emails had to support various goals, from marketing campaigns to transactional updates, requiring flexible yet consistent components.
Maintaining Brand Consistency: Ensuring alignment with eBay’s overall design system and visual identity.
Team Collaboration: Global teams required alignment on workflows, components, and messaging guidelines to scale effectively.
Efficiency: Designing a system that reduced repetitive efforts while remaining adaptable for local needs and evolving requirements.
Process:
Component Design:
Created a comprehensive library of reusable components, including marketing heroes, transactional modules, and grids tailored for responsive email layouts.
Focused on accessibility and branding to ensure designs worked across devices and markets.
Documentation Development:
Created comprehensive guides, including:
Email Anatomy: Detailed structure of email layouts, including primary, secondary, and tertiary content.
Module Anatomy: Responsive behavior, padding, and grid systems for modular components.
Toolkit Creation:
Developed templates and frameworks to support various email types (e.g., promotional, transactional).
Defined voice and tone guidelines to maintain cohesive messaging.
Collaboration:
Held regular workshops and syncs with global teams to align on goals and gather feedback.
Ensured that the Email Design System integrated seamlessly with the broader Evo Design System.
Outcomes:
Increased Efficiency: Reduced email creation time by 30% through reusable components and standardized templates.
Enhanced Engagement: Improved email click-through rates and user engagement by maintaining visual consistency and optimized layouts.
Global Adoption: Provided teams with clear, actionable guidelines that scaled across regions and use cases.
Unified Branding: Strengthened brand recognition through consistent design and messaging across all emails.
Key Takeaways
Scalability Matters: The system was designed to meet diverse global needs while maintaining a unified brand identity.
Documentation is Essential: Clear, accessible guidelines ensured teams could quickly adopt the system and use it effectively.
Collaboration Drives Success: Cross-functional alignment was critical to delivering a system that worked across regions and teams.
Challenges:
Diverse Use Cases: Emails had to support various goals, from marketing campaigns to transactional updates, requiring flexible yet consistent components.
Maintaining Brand Consistency: Ensuring alignment with eBay’s overall design system and visual identity.
Team Collaboration: Global teams required alignment on workflows, components, and messaging guidelines to scale effectively.
Efficiency: Designing a system that reduced repetitive efforts while remaining adaptable for local needs and evolving requirements.
Process:
Component Design:
Created a comprehensive library of reusable components, including marketing heroes, transactional modules, and grids tailored for responsive email layouts.
Focused on accessibility and branding to ensure designs worked across devices and markets.
Documentation Development:
Created comprehensive guides, including:
Email Anatomy: Detailed structure of email layouts, including primary, secondary, and tertiary content.
Module Anatomy: Responsive behavior, padding, and grid systems for modular components.
Toolkit Creation:
Developed templates and frameworks to support various email types (e.g., promotional, transactional).
Defined voice and tone guidelines to maintain cohesive messaging.
Collaboration:
Held regular workshops and syncs with global teams to align on goals and gather feedback.
Ensured that the Email Design System integrated seamlessly with the broader Evo Design System.
Outcomes:
Increased Efficiency: Reduced email creation time by 30% through reusable components and standardized templates.
Enhanced Engagement: Improved email click-through rates and user engagement by maintaining visual consistency and optimized layouts.
Global Adoption: Provided teams with clear, actionable guidelines that scaled across regions and use cases.
Unified Branding: Strengthened brand recognition through consistent design and messaging across all emails.
Key Takeaways
Scalability Matters: The system was designed to meet diverse global needs while maintaining a unified brand identity.
Documentation is Essential: Clear, accessible guidelines ensured teams could quickly adopt the system and use it effectively.
Collaboration Drives Success: Cross-functional alignment was critical to delivering a system that worked across regions and teams.
