AI Newsletter Automation
Automating monthly design system communications with AI agents
The Challenge
Keeping 50+ designers informed about design system updates was becoming a significant time investment. Each month required manually reviewing all changes, writing summaries, formatting the newsletter, and distributing it across teams.
The process typically took 5+ hours monthly—time that could be better spent on strategic work. Additionally, the manual nature meant newsletters were sometimes delayed or inconsistent in coverage.
The Solution
I built an AI agent using Claude that automatically generates monthly newsletters by analysing design system changes. The agent connects to our Figma libraries and documentation to understand what's changed, then produces a well-structured newsletter draft.
The AI agent reduced newsletter creation from 5 hours to under 30 minutes of review and refinement.
How It Works
Change Detection
The agent reviews recent updates to Figma libraries, identifying new components, modifications, and deprecations from the past month.
Content Generation
Using Claude, the agent generates clear, designer-friendly summaries of each change, explaining what's new and why it matters.
Structure & Formatting
The content is automatically organised into sections: highlights, new components, updates, deprecations, and upcoming changes.
Review & Send
I review the generated draft, make any necessary adjustments, and distribute to the design community via Slack and email.
Newsletter Structure
The AI generates newsletters with a consistent, scannable format:
- Monthly Highlights: 2-3 key updates that deserve attention
- New Components: Any components added to the library
- Updates & Improvements: Changes to existing components
- Token Changes: New or modified design tokens
- Deprecations: Components being retired with migration guidance
- Coming Soon: Preview of upcoming work
Sample Output
# Design System Newsletter - November 2025
## 🎯 Highlights
This month we shipped 3 new components and updated our
token architecture for better dark mode support.
## ✨ New Components
• **DatePicker** - Fully accessible date selection
• **Tooltip** - Information hints with smart positioning
• **Skeleton** - Loading placeholders for content
## 🔄 Updates
• Button: Added "ghost" variant for tertiary actions
• Card: New elevation options (flat, raised, floating)
## 🎨 Token Changes
• Added surface-elevated token for layered UIs
• New focus-ring tokens for accessibility
Impact
The automated newsletter has transformed how we communicate design system updates:
- Consistency: Newsletters now go out reliably on the first of each month
- Coverage: AI catches changes that might be missed in manual review
- Time savings: 60+ hours annually redirected to strategic work
- Engagement: Clear, well-structured updates have improved adoption
Lessons Learned
Building this agent taught me several important lessons about AI automation:
- Human review matters: AI drafts need a human eye for tone and priority
- Structure helps AI: Providing clear templates improves output quality
- Start simple: The first version just listed changes—refinement came later
- Measure impact: Tracking time savings helped justify the investment