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AI integration in CPE
Constant Contact • Web & Mobile
My Role
Lead Product Designer
UX Strategy
AI Integration
Team
Authoring team
AI/ML Engineering
PM
UXR
Tools
Figma
Notion
Jira
User Testing
Giving Creativity a Smarter Starting Point
The Cross-Platform Editor (CPE) powers how users create marketing content across Constant Contact, from emails to landing pages. But for many small businesses, starting from a blank canvas is the hardest part.
The goal: use AI not to replace creativity, but to amplify it. We set out to design intelligent entry points that help users go from idea → polished content faster, while maintaining full control.
The Challenge: Make AI Feel Like Design, Not a Feature
AI introduced clear advantages in speed and scalability, but early testing showed a gap between capability and trust. Users appreciated automation when it saved time, but they disengaged the moment results felt generic or misaligned with their brand voice.
The challenge wasn’t building more intelligence, it was integrating it responsibly.We focused on making AI a natural extension of the editor, not a separate experience. Our goal going into the project was to keep the feature:
- Integrated rather than independent - AI should feel built into the workflow, not layered on top.
- Assistive vs. directive - users lead the creative process, with AI handling repetitive or mechanical work.
- Contextual, not generic - recommendations must respond to what’s on screen, not assumptions about intent.
Turning a Blank Canvas Into Momentum
Our intent was to embed AI at key decision points inside the editor so the user recieved the value in the moment rather than announcing it and smothering them with dialogs:
- Prompt-driven template generation — users describe their goal (“announce a summer sale”), and the template picker instantly creates an on-brand template and draft email, with subject line, body text, and imagery.
- Real-time suggestions — the system surfaces tone adjustments, length optimizations, and layout variations as the user types.
- Smart reusability — existing content is analyzed to recommend structure or tone for future campaigns, reinforcing consistency.
Instead of presenting AI as a “mode,” we made it ambient, a co-author that understands where the user is in their journey and adds value without interruption.
Results That Proved Simplicity Scales
Integrating AI into the editor wasn’t just about novelty, it was about measurable lift.
- 29% faster draft creation for new campaigns using the AI-prompt flow
- Higher engagement from first-time users who interacted with AI suggestions (correlating to stronger trial retention)
- Reduction in editing time before first publish, based on telemetry data
- User sentiment improved around confidence in “first draft” quality
“It’s like the system already knows how I talk.” “It felt like a starting point, not a replacement.”
Designing for Trust in an AI-Assisted Future
Early on we had user feedback that most wanted to do the heavy lifting in the writing process. If an AI tool could help, great, but they didn’t trust it to be accurate, on-brand, or consistent.
Although we we’re unable to ship the ideal version of the feature, the biggest win wasn’t the feature itself, but rather the shift in perception. Users stopped worrying the LLM would get in the way, and started trusting it to help speed up their process.
This work proved that subtle, context-aware assistance drives better engagement than overt automation.When AI operates within familiar patterns, users stay in control, and confidence and productivity go up.
Back
AI integration in CPE
Constant Contact • Web & Mobile
My Role
Lead Product Designer
UX Strategy
AI Integration
My Team
Authoring team
AI/ML Engineering
PM
UXR
My Tools
Figma
Notion
Jira
User Testing
Giving Creativity a Smarter Starting Point
The Cross-Platform Editor (CPE) powers how users create marketing content across Constant Contact, from emails to landing pages. But for many small businesses, starting from a blank canvas is the hardest part.
The goal: use AI not to replace creativity, but to amplify it. We set out to design intelligent entry points that help users go from idea → polished content faster, while maintaining full control.
The Challenge: Make AI Feel Like Design, Not a Feature
AI introduced clear advantages in speed and scalability, but early testing showed a gap between capability and trust. Users appreciated automation when it saved time, but they disengaged the moment results felt generic or misaligned with their brand voice.
The challenge wasn’t building more intelligence, it was integrating it responsibly.We focused on making AI a natural extension of the editor, not a separate experience. Our goal going into the project was to keep the feature:
- Integrated rather than independent - AI should feel built into the workflow, not layered on top.
- Assistive vs. directive - users lead the creative process, with AI handling repetitive or mechanical work.
- Contextual, not generic - recommendations must respond to what’s on screen, not assumptions about intent.
Turning a Blank Canvas Into Momentum
Our intent was to embed AI at key decision points inside the editor so the user discovered the value in the moment rather than us constantly announcing it by smothering them with dialogs or banners. We prepared to accomplish this through:
- Prompt-driven template generation - Early in the path users describe their goal (“announce a summer sale”), and the template picker instantly creates an on-brand template and draft email, with subject line, body text, and imagery.
- Inline refinement and tone adjustment - As users write, the system analyzes structure, tone, and clarity in real time. Suggestions appear inline, allowing users to edit fluidly without breaking focus.
- Smart reusability - Existing content is saved for personal use, learning the users tone for use in future campaigns, generations, suggestions, and more.
Instead of presenting AI as a “mode,” we made it ambient, a co-author that understands where the user is in their journey and adds value without interruption.
Results That Proved Simplicity Scales
Integrating AI into the editor wasn’t just about novelty, it was about measurable lift.
- 29% faster draft creation for new campaigns using the AI-prompt flow
- Higher engagement from first-time users who interacted with AI suggestions (correlating to stronger trial retention)
- Reduction in editing time before first publish, based on telemetry data
- User sentiment improved around confidence in “first draft” quality
“It’s like the system already knows how I talk.” “It felt like a starting point, not a replacement.”
Designing for Trust in an AI-Assisted Future
Early on we had user feedback that most wanted to do the heavy lifting in the writing process. If an AI tool could help, great, but they didn’t trust it to be accurate, on-brand, or consistent.
Although we we’re unable to ship the ideal version of the feature, the biggest win wasn’t the feature itself, but rather the shift in perception. Users stopped worrying the LLM would get in the way, and started trusting it to help speed up their process.
This work proved that subtle, context-aware assistance drives better engagement than overt automation.When AI operates within familiar patterns, users stay in control, and confidence and productivity go up.
I design for teams that care about doing it right
Get in touch, or send me a cat video
