User Research for Email Design

Internally, Litmus’ monthly newsletter was a vehicle for promoting the latest Litmus content, like blogs and webinars. We had hypotheses about how subscribers used the newsletter, but wanted to make sure a redesign of the newsletter provided the content and functionality users wanted most.

I analyzed email performance over the previous two years and looked for trends in types of content, subscriber satisfaction (based on an in-email poll), elements clicked in the email, and read rates.

The findings created the basis for a three-question user survey conducted through Qualtrics. The multiple-choice options covered content, structure, function and accessibility features, rather than asking about each of these categories separately, which formed a holistic look at what users prioritized.

We learned that users were interested in industry news, email marketing trends and hearing from email professionals directly. They were likely to bookmark content for later and were interested in accessible design and copy that facilitated focus and finding what they need. More specific data is confidential to Litmus.

The primary goals for this project were to modernize the newsletter design and improve the efficiency of creating it every month. We were interested in maintaining the engagement rate rather than increasing it. With that in mind, the design needed to be modular with sections that could be added or removed and use as much of our current email design library as possible.

Drawing inspiration from newsletters from Sketch, Shopify and Trip Advisor, I prioritized clearly-defined sections of content and modern color palettes, while incorporating illustrative elements that Litmus was known for.

In the image below, I've added annotations that represent stakeholder input and design decisions over the different iterations of the design.

As part of the redesign, stakeholders were interested in developing a distinct visual identity for the newsletter. We leaned into the "news" angle with a newspaper-like font and explored various graphic elements that reflected Litmus' fun illustrative style. The final logo features an animated paper airplane and is optimized for both light and dark mode.

‍Hover on the image below (or tap on mobile) to play or pause the motion.

After implementing the redesign, overall engagement rates have remained fairly consistent. The length of time spent reading the email increased. Average sentiment moved slightly from positive to neutral, which was expected given that past newsletters had been designed around fun themes.

On the production side, the newsletter workflow became more efficient. Prior to the redesign, the monthly themes had increased copywriting and designing time. The structure of the new design added more constraints and gave sections specific purposes, making everything from choosing content, copywriting and design more streamlined.