Unlayer
Embeddable email & document builder
Unlayer — Enterprise SaaS UX Redesign and Design System
How Unlayer Evolved from a Developer-Built Editor into an Enterprise-Ready Product
What We Delivered
What We Did
Product Strategy, UX Research, Usability Audit, UI/UX Design, Interaction Design, Design System, AI UX, Product Modernization
Project Snapshot
- Engagement
- 18 Months
- Platform
- Embeddable web editor (Unlayer Studio + Unlayer Embed)
- Industry
- SaaS · Martech
Overview
From Developer-Built Tool to Enterprise-Grade Experience
Unlayer provides an embeddable email editor used by major enterprises. When Phoenux stepped in, the product had strong technical foundations but limited design maturity. Much of the experience had been built by developers, for developers.
The product was also evolving in two directions — Unlayer Studio for individual users and Unlayer Embed as a white-labeled B2B solution for enterprise platforms. As the business shifted its focus toward Embed, the product needed an experience that could support larger customers and more complex use cases.
That meant more than a visual refresh. It required clearer interaction patterns, stronger usability, better accessibility, and a design foundation that could scale with the product.
Challenges
The Product Worked. The Experience Needed to Catch Up.
The core editor was powerful but complex, fragile, and heavily developer-built. Making major changes also carried the risk of disrupting an experience users already relied on.
The biggest friction points included:
- Inconsistent visual and interaction patterns
- Accessibility and contrast issues
- Poor discoverability of key controls
- Complex editing workflows
- An AI experience users struggled to understand
- A product experience that needed to feel more credible for enterprise customers
The challenge was clear: modernize the experience without breaking what already worked.
Transformation
From Product Maintenance to Product Experience
Phoenux took design ownership across the product — defining direction, improving the core experience, and creating a foundation for continued growth.
Rather than pushing for a risky rebuild, we introduced a gradual modernization strategy: improve the visual foundation first, then evolve interaction patterns based on real usability needs. No reckless rewrite.
Solution
Modernizing the Experience Without Starting Over
Design Foundation
We established the principles needed to give the product a consistent direction.
- •Defined visual tone and product personality
- •Established accessibility standards
- •Created UI principles
- •Built foundations for a scalable design system
Core Editor Modernization
Instead of rebuilding the editor, we improved it incrementally.
- •Refined typography and hierarchy
- •Improved contrast and accessibility
- •Standardized components
- •Introduced clearer interaction patterns
- •Added subtle micro-interactions
- The result was a cleaner editing experience with improved discoverability, fewer user errors, and stronger enterprise credibility.
Usability-Led Improvements
High-impact UX improvements informed by audits, user feedback, and competitive analysis.
- •Conducted a usability audit
- •Gathered feedback from internal power users
- •Reviewed competitor experiences to identify the highest-impact improvements
- •Clearer action areas and stronger contrast
- •Simpler color controls and more recognizable interaction states
Designing AI Adoption
A guided AI flow for better prompts, fewer failed generations, and less credit waste.
- •Redesigned the flow around how users naturally express intent
- •Describe → Enhance → Refine → Generate
- •Structured options instead of one open-ended prompt field
- •Reduced failed attempts and credit waste while improving output quality
Supporting the Shift to Embed
Shaped Unlayer into a scalable B2B platform for enterprise teams.
- •Shaped the experience around projects, builders, templates, settings, analytics, storage
- •Supported the shift from standalone editor to the B2B Embed offering
- •Built for teams integrating Unlayer into their own products
Impact TLDR
When Phoenux Became Unlayer's Design Partner
Enterprise-ready
Modernized the core product experience for a growing B2B platform.
AI Adoption
Redesigned the generative AI workflow to reduce failed attempts and credit waste.
Scalable UX
Established stronger UI foundations, accessibility standards, and reusable patterns.
The Result
A More Mature Product, Built to Scale
The work established a stronger product foundation for Unlayer's next stage of growth, improving usability, enterprise readiness, and the way users adopt AI.
Experience
A Stronger Enterprise Experience
A more polished product experience with clearer interactions, improved discoverability, and fewer errors across core editing workflows.
Efficiency
Lower Friction Across Core Workflows
Streamlined editing flows reduced common support issues and made everyday creation tasks easier to complete.
Foundation
Smarter AI, Built to Scale
A structured generative AI workflow helped users create better outputs with fewer failed attempts, while clearer UI principles, accessibility standards, and reusable components created a stronger foundation for future growth.
Value Phoenux Added
Unlayer already had the technology. Phoenux helped turn it into a product experience that was clearer, more accessible, easier to use, and ready for enterprise scale.
Clarity
Turned technology into a clearer experience
We transformed complex product capabilities into intuitive interactions, helping users understand the product and move through it with confidence.
Accessibility
Made the experience more accessible
Clearer visual hierarchy, consistent patterns, and thoughtful interactions made the product easier to navigate and understand.
Visual Cues
Replaced progress bars with context
Instead of relying on a raw progress indicator, visual cues helped people understand where they were and what was coming next.
Usability
Simplified the way users work
We refined core workflows, reduced friction across key tasks, and made everyday product interactions easier to complete.
Scalability
Prepared the product for enterprise growth
A more consistent and structured experience created a stronger foundation for enterprise requirements and future product development.
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