Exact Target & Marketing Cloud Unification

A UX Makeover

Project Overview

Client: Salesforce

Duration: 6 Months

Team: Product Manager, Engineers, Design, UXR, and myself

Objective: To transition Exact Target's UI into Salesforce Lightening UI and create a storybook of LWC for the dev team to use.

The Challenge

We purchased Exact Target and the UI looked nothing like Lightening UI. We needed to give Exact Target a full Lightening UI makeover.

That was the initial ask, but then we had a bit of scope creep around integrating Exact Target's Journey Builder into Marketing Cloud.

The Approach

Navigating the complex integration of ExactTarget's marketing software into Salesforce's Marketing Cloud was a complex problem as we had to start from scratch with a design system that was till being developed.

My responsibilities included strategic planning, user research, interface design, high fidelity designs and prototypes, and ensuring alignment with business objectives.

I did a lot of negotiating with a lot of people. to make sure that expectations were set and agreed upon, and outputs were clearly identified.

Discovery / Design

We began with a comprehensive analysis of ExactTarget and Salesforce's Marketing Cloud, examining their technical stacks, user interfaces, and features.

Collaborating with product strategists, we mapped features, identified overlaps, and assessed gaps to inform our integration strategy.

User research, including usability testing and interviews, provided valuable insights into user needs, guiding our integration roadmap.

We then set to auditing the systems to understand the overlaps and deficits.

We needed to not only convert the current exact target UI library, but also it's design system as a whole.

Our multi-tiered roadmap structured the integration process:

001
Focused on foundational elements necessary for subsequent phases and plot those out based on timing, dependencies, and need.
002
Outline actionable steps and begin divvying up the work and setting hard timelines.
003
Create high fidelity frames to show the transitional elements, get feedback from everyone, and submit to dev.
004
Work with Dev to navigate the new libraries, new design system, and any upgrades to features / functionality.
005
Move into a consulting phase with the dev team as the work transitioned.

We had a solid plan, and we wanted to ensure that the transition to Lightening, and LWC would be as smooth as possible.

We also went about creating a LWC library with the dev team that would be the single source of truth for any future builds.

We created trainings around the new library and guidelines to socialize the info to the dev, business, and other design teams.

This helped to take a lot of pressure off the devs and makes building the front end much easier and faster for desingers too.

Research

Using qualitative and quantitative data from Salesforce and ExactTarget, we conducted heuristic evaluations, user interviews, and A/B testing to inform design decisions for the transition.

We also did tests with the dev team to see if there were going to be any issues stacking the new UI elements on top of the current infrastructure.

We mapped out the data architecture and then looked into any issues with API calls that could get impacted by the new UI.

Close collaboration between UX designers and technical teams ensured a seamless integration, with usability testing guiding iterative refinements.

03
Months To Completion
70%
Approval Rating
On Transition
78%
User Retention Post Transition
39%
Decrease In Calls To CS To Assist

Conclusion & Next Steps

The successful integration of ExactTarget into Salesforce's Marketing Cloud showcased the power of collaboration between UX design, product strategy, and technical teams for a design system transition.

Prioritizing efficient use of LWC, leveraging iterative testing, and fostering close collaboration, we bridged technological gaps to deliver a unified, user-centric experience.

This integration not only met technical requirements but also set a precedent for future enhancements, highlighting the importance of high fidelity prototypes and iterative design in complex projects.

Let's see how I
can help you

I was able to help Salesforce


I helped to make over the Exact Target experience to blend in seamlessly with the current Marketing Cloud experience. What can I do for you?

001
Design
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"Their strategic insights made Dreamforce looked & worked better."

Jacinda Perez
PM Salesforce
002
Strategy, Design
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"He always brought good ideas and a collaborative spirit."

Samantha Carson
Designer Manager, Densu
003
Strategy, Design, Research
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"He was a dream to work with, i miss him!"

Jessica Hampton
Content & Branding, Wonolo
004
Branding
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"Jon always provided us professional work."

Marcus Johnson
Fullstack Dev, Densu