AI Email Builder (POC)

Challenge

Creating hotel marketing emails was a highly manual process. Every subject line, layout block, and image needed hands-on work from designers or customers. Production time was slow, outputs varied in quality, and the process didn’t scale for thousands of hotels. We needed a smarter, structured way to support content creation without increasing headcount or sacrificing quality.

Strategy

I focused on developing a clear, practical vision for how AI should fit into our workflow. This included defining the required inputs, logic rules, template structures, constraints, and evaluation criteria needed for the AI to generate consistent, usable email content. The strategy emphasized:

• Guided inputs to reduce AI ambiguity
• Modular HTML email outputs aligned to existing templates
• A predictable structure that still allowed human control
• A foundation that could later integrate into the broader Email Builder UI‍
• A differentiated AI capabilities path that positions Sojern ahead of industry competitors

This framework grounded the POC and made it feasible for engineering partners to build against.

Design Highlights

(Note: I did not design the UI. These highlights reflect the requirements and UX logic I defined.)

• Structured Prompting Model: Clear field requirements for campaign type, promotion, tone, images, amenities, and brand rules to ensure reliable output.
• Modular Output Architecture: AI-generated headlines, body copy, CTAs, and image recommendations mapped directly into Sojern’s existing modules.
• Editable Drafts: Requirements included human override and editing capabilities to maintain creative control.
• Quality Criteria & Guardrails: Defined rules for accuracy, tone, formatting, and brand alignment to evaluate each generation and reduce rework.

Role & Contributions

• Conceived the initial concept for an AI-powered email creation workflow.
• Authored the full requirements documentation, including UX flows, logic, templates, and content rules.
• Partnered with Google to secure $177k in funding to support development.
• Selected and collaborated with Quantiphi as the engineering partner.
• Served as the product and creative subject-matter expert through development.
• Led QA for generated outputs, identifying improvement areas and refining logic.
• Created walkthrough materials, screenshots, and a demo video for internal stakeholders.

Outcomes

• Reduced email creation from a one-hour manual process to a near-instant automated draft.
• Established the foundational logic for future AI functionality within Sojern’s Guest Experience Platform
• Demonstrated feasibility and value of AI-assisted creative production to Product and Engineering leaders.
• Positioned Sojern to scale email creation without proportional increases in design resources.
• Secured external funding and reduced internal engineering lift required to explore AI capabilities.

‍

‍

‍