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: [ FILL: duration, e.g. 18 Months or Ongoing ]
Platform: Embeddable web editor (Unlayer Studio + Unlayer Embed)
Industry: SaaS · Martech

Unlayer editor, design system, and AI flow

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.

Core Editor Modernization

Instead of rebuilding the editor, we improved it incrementally.

Usability-Led Improvements

High-impact UX improvements informed by audits, user feedback, and competitive analysis.

Designing AI Adoption

A guided AI flow for better prompts, fewer failed generations, and less credit waste.

Supporting the Shift to Embed

Shaped Unlayer into a scalable B2B platform for enterprise teams.

Impact TLDR

Enterprise-ready

Modernized the core product experience for a growing B2B platform.

[ METRIC: enterprise customers or Embed partners onboarded after the redesign ]

AI adoption

Redesigned the generative AI workflow to reduce failed attempts and credit waste.

[ METRIC: % fewer failed generations, or % lower credit spend per successful image ]

Scalable UX

Established stronger UI foundations, accessibility standards, and reusable patterns.

[ METRIC: components standardized, or WCAG AA contrast pass rate before → after ]

The result

A more mature product, built to scale

Stronger enterprise experience

A more polished product experience built for B2B and enterprise use cases.

Better usability

Improved discoverability, clearer interactions, and fewer user errors across the core editor.

Lower support friction

Improved workflows reduced support issues around common editing tasks.

[ METRIC: % reduction in support tickets for editing tasks ]

Smarter AI adoption

A structured generative AI workflow helped users create better outputs with fewer failed attempts and less credit waste.

Scalable design foundation

Clearer UI principles, accessibility standards, and standardized components created a stronger foundation for future product development.

Value Phoenux added

Unlayer already had the technology. Phoenux helped turn that technology into a product experience that was clearer, more accessible, easier to use, and ready for enterprise scale.

Before