Brick River Email Platform
Project: Brick River Email Platform Product Design & Front-End Development
Description: As the lead designer and front-end developer, I helped build the updated Brick River Email Platform—a modern, flexible email creation tool used by nonprofits to design, send, and manage their email campaigns. My work focused on configuring the email editor, improving the authoring workflow, and ensuring emails render consistently across all major clients.
Software: Figma, Visual Studio, Git, Litmus, Email on Acid, HTML, CSS, Javascript, C# / Razor
Design Question: How might we redesign the email platform to create a smoother user flow and a more flexible, modern email editor?
User Personas
Design Requirements
Streamlined User Flow
Simplify the steps for creating, editing, testing, and sending emails to reduce friction and make the process easy to follow.Improved Email Editor Experience
Update the editor to feel modern, intuitive, and consistent, with clear formatting tools and an easier way to insert content.Reusable Content & Custom Components
Enable users to drop in buttons, snippets, templates, and other predefined elements directly from the CMS.Cross-Client Email Compatibility
Ensure emails render reliably across Outlook, Gmail, iOS Mail, and other major clients through strict HTML/CSS standards.Responsive, Accessible Output
Support mobile-friendly layouts and accessible text structure within the constraints of email-safe code.User Testing & Iteration
Validate workflows and editor improvements through continuous testing and Litmus verification, refining based on real user behavior.
Donation Page Figma Designs
Everything from the donation page elements, form error messages, to the confirmation page.
Defining the User Flow
Donation Form Prototype
Below is the prototype for a streamlined, user-friendly donation form. Designed with the least number of form fields possible and labels placed above the input fields in order to maximize donor engagement.
Development
I configured and customized the Froala-based email editor to create a clear, intuitive interface for building responsive email layouts. This included extensive front-end work in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, along with custom integrations that allow users to insert reusable content, snippets, buttons, templates, and dynamic fields.
A major focus of the project was cross-client reliability. I tested thousands of emails using Litmus and manual checks across Outlook, Gmail, iOS Mail, and other clients to ensure consistent rendering and accessibility. I also performed user testing and iterative improvements to strengthen the authoring experience.
Key Technologies
JavaScript – Editor behavior, custom features, and UI interactions
HTML / CSS – Email-safe markup and responsive layout patterns
Froala Editor – Configuration, extensions, and integration
C# / Razor – Dynamic content and CMS integrations
Litmus – Cross-client rendering tests
Git – Version control and team collaboration
Challenge
The existing email platform felt outdated and difficult to navigate. The user flow involved too many steps, the editor lacked clarity and modern functionality, and emails were not rendering consistently across major clients like Outlook, Gmail, and iOS. Users needed a smoother way to build emails, insert reusable content, and trust that their message would display correctly everywhere.
Solution
I redesigned the email creation experience by simplifying the workflow and upgrading the editor interface. As the lead designer and front-end developer, I configured and extended the Froala editor, built custom tools for inserting snippets, buttons, and templates, and implemented email-safe HTML/CSS patterns to ensure cross-client reliability. I tested thousands of emails through Litmus and user feedback, refining the UI to make the process clearer, faster, and more dependable.
The Final Product
The redesigned Brick River Email Platform delivers a clearer workflow, a modernized editor, and reliable rendering across all major email clients. Users can build emails quickly, insert reusable content from the CMS, track engagement, and manage their subscriber lists—all within a streamlined interface built for nonprofits.
Key Features:
Reach the Right People
Unlimited subscription lists
Track subscriber activity and interests
See who signs up and how they engage
Track What’s Working
Opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes
Compare campaign performance
View detailed activity logs
Keep Your Data Clean
Remove duplicates and invalid addresses
Let subscribers update their own information
Keep all data organized in one place
Design Emails in Minutes
Drop in content directly from the CMS
Save emails as reusable site content
Responsive, email-safe templates
Schedule emails to send later
Conclusion
The redesigned email platform now gives users a cleaner workflow, a more intuitive editor, and reliable email rendering across all major clients. The updated experience reduces friction, improves consistency, and empowers nonprofits to create professional, accessible emails with confidence. It has become one of Brick River’s most widely used and trusted tools.