Design Lab User Guide

Section 1: Welcome to Design Lab

Create, Personalize, and Publish Creative with Confidence

Design Lab is XR's creative editing and versioning solution that enables teams to quickly build, edit, and publish digital advertising creatives directly within the XR platform.

Whether you're updating messaging for a seasonal promotion, localizing creative for different markets, creating product-specific variations, or building Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) campaigns, Design Lab streamlines the process by allowing you to create multiple creative versions from a single master asset.

With an intuitive editing experience, reusable templates, and seamless integration into campaign workflows, Design Lab helps reduce production time while maintaining creative consistency across campaigns.

What You Can Create

Design Lab supports both direct versioning and feed-based versioning workflows for digital video and display, giving you flexibility based on the scale and complexity of your creative needs.

Common Use Cases

• Multi-size display campaigns — Adapt a master creative across desktop and mobile ad sizes. 
• Cross-format video and social campaigns — Create portrait, square, and landscape versions from a master creative. 
• Product and offer campaigns — Generate creative variations featuring different products, models, offers, or promotions. 
• Localized campaigns — Create market-specific versions with different copy, imagery, offers, or CTAs.
• Context-specific campaigns — Create tailored creative variations for different contextual environments, such as content, weather, time of day, or events.
• High-volume creative production — Generate hundreds or thousands of consistent creative variants from a structured data feed.

How Design Lab Fits into Your Workflow

Design Lab integrates directly with the XR workflow.

Create once, scale everywhere. XR's integrated design workflow allows teams to generate multiple creative variations from a single master design—eliminating repetitive creative production, reducing costs and turnaround time, and maintaining brand consistency across every campaign.
 

Design Lab Specifications & Limits

• Maximum Video Duration: 130 seconds

• Maximum assets per workspace: 30

• Maximum video dimensions: 2,000 x 2,000 pixels

• Maximum creative variants per build: 2,000

• Language support: The Design Lab interface is currently available in English. Creative content can be built and rendered in all languages.

Before You Begin

Before creating your first project, ensure you have the following assets:

• Logos
• Images
• Video files (if applicable)
• Fonts (if required)
• Messaging and copy
• Call-to-action variations
• Click-through URLs/3^rd party tracking (if applicable)

If using Feed-Based Versioning, in addition to the above items, you should also have a completed feed sheet that includes:

• ISCIs/Asset IDs and Titles for each version (rows)
• Dynamic creative elements, such as offers, pricing, images, headlines, targeting and/or optimizing criteria (columns)

Recommended Project Timeline

The timeline below reflects a typical onboarding and campaign workflow.

Understanding Your Workflow

Feed-Based Versioning is ideal when the creative layout remains consistent while content changes across versions.

Instead of creating each version manually, you upload a simple spreadsheet where:

- Each row = one version

- Each column = what changes (headline, offer, URL, etc.)

Typical feed content includes:

• Headlines
• Body copy
• Images
• Offers
• CTA text
• URLs

Direct Versioning is used when creative dimensions or layouts vary, such as:

• Creating multiple display sizes (300x250, 728x90, etc.)
• Adapting creative for different placements
• Building campaigns with unique layouts
• Developing entirely new creative concepts

How to choose?

- If your creatives look the same and only the content changes → use Feed-Based Versioning

- If your creatives are different in size or design → use Direct Versioning

💡 Best Practice

The most successful Design Lab projects begin with organized assets and a clear creative strategy. Finalizing messaging, imagery, approvals, naming conventions, and creative requirements before building versions will reduce revisions, improve consistency, and accelerate campaign launch.

Section 2: Opening Design Lab

You can open Design Lab by clicking the ‘Edit in Design Lab’ button from the Asset Details page of a creative. 

For the Asset details workflow,

1. Navigate to the Asset Details Page for the creative you want to edit.
2. Click the Edit in Design Lab button.
3. Design Lab opens with that asset already:
   • Loaded on the canvas
   • Linked to the original platform asset (so changes can be published back to the XR platform)

If a creative asset has its content version type set to ‘Versioning Master’, then it can be used to create additional Versions of that asset in Design Lab. 

If it is not set as a Versioning Master, a user will be limited to only editing that individual asset in Design Lab.

If you click the ‘Edit in Design Lab’ button from an asset with a content version type set to ‘Version’, then it will open the Versioning Master asset workspace in Design Lab.

Section 3: Understanding the Design Lab Workspace

The Design Lab workspace is where you'll create, edit, preview, and manage your digital creative. Whether you're building a single creative version or hundreds of versions, the workspace is designed to provide everything you need in one place.

Before creating your first project, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the interface. Understanding where each tool is located will help you work more efficiently and confidently.

Top Bar – Project-level actions and view controls

When you open a creative, in the top bar you’ll see:

• Design: The view for editing and versioning assets.
• Review: The view for previewing assets and generating tear sheets.
• Return to Platform: A link that returns the user to the main XR Extreme Reach platform.

• Design Lab Header: Header on right side of the page that shows Version History, Design Lab Asset State (Draft/Published), Publish button, dark mode toggle, Account Statistics and User Profile access.  

Design View

• Workspace: The central area for viewing and versioning assets.

• Workspace Menu: A menu listing each asset in the Workspace by its asset name. Each item includes a “more” (three‑dot) menu with options that allow you to import files and add layers.

• Workspace Toolbar: A toolbar that provides layer movement controls, undo/redo controls, change history, error notifications, and a ‘save as template’ button.

• Playback and Workspace Controls: Playback controls include an option to jump to a specific point in time for a video or animated asset. Options are also available to control playback. Workspace controls on the right side let a user control zoom options, access full screen mode, and center the viewpoint.

• Layers Panel: Displays all layers associated with the currently selected asset.
  • Selecting an asset’s workspace name in the Workspace menu displays that asset’s layers in the Layers Panel on the left side of the Workspace.
  • Clicking the carat next to a layer name reveals:
    • Animation keyframes (More details in Section 4.1)
    • Animation preset options (More details in Section 4.1)
  • Layers can be renamed by selecting the layer and updating the Name field in the Properties panel on the right side of the page.


• Properties Panel: A Panel displays on the right side of the Design view depending on a user’s selection in the Workspace Menu. These panels allow control for asset and layer configurations, such as layer naming, positioning, and transformation.
• Asset Panel
  • The Versioning Master asset panel includes special options related to Version Settings.
    • Link versions to versioning master.
      • Enabled by default, this option links created versions to the Versioning Master, which is necessary for DCO targeting.
    • Auto apply updates from refreshable feed.
      • Automatically detects changes in the feed file and applies them to the current creative in the Design Lab.
    • Auto-create and publish asset when refreshable feed updated.
      • Automatically creates and publishes creatives when the feed file is updated. Only applies when the Versioning Master is in Published status. 
  • An asset’s Playback Settings are also available on the Versioning Master asset.
    • For video assets, the video assets duration and frame rate are automatically set.

• For HTML5/Rich Media Display assets, the duration defaults to 5s but can be adjusted to a custom length.

Tip: All work is auto saved, so no need to click a save button.

Left Navigation Menu

The Left Navigation Menu is the vertical bar on the left side of Design Lab. It lets you switch between different views that support how you build and manage creatives.

Workspace

• Default view when you open Design Lab.
• Shows:
  • Workspace, Workspace Menu (top‑left), Workspace Toolbar, Playback and Workspace Controls, Layers Panel, and Properties Panel.
• Use it to:
  • Design the Versioning Master.
  • Edit individual versions.
  • Work with layers, keyframes, QR, video, and audio.

Feeds

• View and manage the data feeds attached to your design.
• Shows:
  • Same views as Workspace but replaces Workspace Menu with a Feed Menu.
• Use it to:
  • Link and Unlink feeds associated with a Versioning Master asset.
  • Validate row-level feed content associated with each version.
  • Apply Custom Mode to individual versions.
    • Allows customization of individual versions without affecting global settings.

Brand

• View and manage brand kits.
• Shows:
  • Approved files (e.g. logos, images), brand colors, and custom fonts.
• Use it to:
  • Add brand-specific elements directly to a workspace/timeline.

Templates

• Library of reusable asset designs already built in Design Lab.
• Shows:
  • Templates containing existing asset designs.
• Use it to:
  • Add to (or Replace) assets on a workspace with pre-designed assets.
    • Multiple templates can be applied to a single workspace, if using the ‘Add to Existing' option.
    • A set of already made templates will be available for new users, or as you go, save assets you like as templates for future use (dimensions/layers/animation will be preserved).
    • Keep in mind feed linking to a past data feed isn’t preserved, so existing linked layers will need to be relinked to a new feed.

Section 4: Using Layers

Each visual element (text, image, logo, button, QR code, etc.) is a layer on an asset.

Typical layer interactions:

• Add layers
  • Click on the three dots next to your asset’s name on the Workspace Menu to see an option to add layers.
  • Layer types include Text, Image, Video, Audio, and QR Codes (Powered by Flowcode).
• Select layers
  • Click directly on the element on a workspace, or
  • Click the layer name in the Workspace menu to focus it.
• Move Layers – Drag with the mouse or use arrow keys for precise positioning:
  • Arrow keys: move in single‑pixel steps
  • Shift + Arrow: move in 10‑pixel steps
  • Exact layer positioning can also be set using properties menu.
• Hide/Unhide Layers
  • On the timeline underneath an asset(s), click the eyeball icon to hide and unhide individual layers.
• Resize Layers
  • Use the blue triangle on the bottom right corner of a layer to resize it, or
  • Manually adjust the width/height on the properties panel.
• Configure Layers – Use properties panel to add layer configurations such as renaming, setting X/Y position, adjusting dimensions, and transforming the layer (scale/rotation/opacity).
• Copy/Delete layers
  • Select + Shift allows you to select multiple layers, then
  • Click the three-dot menu at the end of the layer to see options to Copy/Paste/Delete layers.

Using Keyframe Animations and Animation Presets

• Layer duration
  • Each layer appears as a bar in the Timeline.
  • The start/end of the bar controls when that layer is visible in the creative.
• Setting keyframes & presets
  • Expanding a layer in the Layers Panel shows:
    • Available keyframe options include position, scale, and opacity
      • Editing keyframes lets you:
        • Fade elements in/out
        • Move logos or text into position
        • Create basic motion effects without custom code.
    • Animation presets option (wand icon that shows blue on hover) include common entrance/exit motions.

Example Basic Keyframe Workflow

1. Select the layer
   • Click the layer on the workspace, or select it in the Layers Panel.
2. Move the playhead
   • Use the Playback controls or click on the Timeline to move the green timeline icon to the time where you want the change to occur.                                                                                                    
3. Set the first keyframe (starting state)
   • With the green timeline icon at the start time:
     • Click the green diamond next to keyframe setting you’d like to set (e.g., set position)
4. Set the next keyframe (+ Repeat)
   • Move the green timeline icon, and then move the image/text layer that you are trying to animate to a new location (or manually adjust the x/y position).
   • Click the green diamond to set the next keyframe.
5. Review
   • To watch the animation, move the green timeline icon to the beginning of the timeline, and click the play button on the playback controls.

Adding QR Codes (Flowcode) in Design Lab

Design Lab supports Flowcode QR codes as a dedicated layer type. You can add a single QR for a static asset or connect QR payloads to a feed so each version gets its own landing page.

Adding QR Codes

• QR codes are managed as QR Code layers and configured in the QR Code Layer Panel in the right‑hand Properties Panel.

Example Basic Keyframe Workflow

1. Add a QR Code layer to an asset
   • From workspace menu, click the three-dots after the asset name to see a menu with + Add Layer
   • Click QR Code to add a QR Code layer.
2. Position and size the QR layer
   • Click on the layer to reposition or use blue triangle handle on bottom right corner to reseize.
   • In the properties panel, use the X/Y Position options and width/height fields for exact resizing and positioning. Also, apply scale/rotation/opacity if needed, like any other layer.
3. Configure the QR Code Payload

Option 1: Single QR code (same URL for all versions)

Use this when every version should scan to the same landing page.

• Select the QR Code layer.
• In the layer properties panel, paste the full landing page URL in the Enter QR payload here field.
• Click Configure QR code style to customize design.

This creates one Flowcode QR used across all versions of this creative.

Option 2: Feed‑driven QR codes (unique URL per version)

Use this when each row in your data feed should have its own QR URL (e.g., per‑store, per‑offer, per‑market).

• Prepare the feed
  • In your feed document (Google Sheet/Excel/import), add unique landing pages in the QR Payload column.
  • Populate each row with the desired URL.
• Connect the feed to the Versioning Master (if not already)
• Bind the QR code to the feed column
  • Select the QR code layer
  • Click the link option on the properties panel and select QR Payload.

This pattern is ideal when Design Lab is used as a DCO versioning master and each creative needs its own tracking URL.

Preview and Validating QR Codes

1. Use your phone to scan the QR on the Review page.
2. Confirm the URL drives to the correct landing page

Object Fit for Images

The Object Fit option controls how an image fills the rectangular space of its image layer. This is especially important when your feed includes images or logos with very different aspect ratios (tall vs. wide) and you want them to render predictably across versions.

Modes:

• Contain (default)
  • Keeps aspect ratio; scales so the entire image is visible.
  • No cropping.
  • Recommended for logos/marks that must not be cropped.
• Cover
  • Scales until container is completely covered.
  • No empty space; edges may be cropped.
  • Good for hero/product images.
• Fill
  • Stretches image to fill the container; aspect ratio not preserved.
  • No empty space, but image may look squished or stretched.
  • Use for backgrounds or non‑critical imagery.
• None
  • Uses the image at its natural size.

Example Image Workflow

1. Select the image layer.
2. On the right‑hand layer properties panel, click on Object Fit field, and select an Object Fit mode.
   • Tooltip contains a reminder of available options with definitions
3. For feed‑driven images, click on Feeds from the navigation menu, and preview a few versions to confirm behavior.

Text Fit for Text

The Text Fit option controls how a text layer handles sizing and wrapping within its layer boundary. This is especially useful when feed-driven text varies in length across versions (e.g., short product names vs. long promotional headlines) and you want text to render predictably without manual adjustments.

Modes:

• Fixed (default)
  • Uses the design font size exactly as set.
  • Text that exceeds the layer boundary will overflow and may be clipped.
  • Recommended when text length is consistent across versions or you want precise typographic control.
• Line
  • Prefers to keep text on a single line by scaling the font size down if needed.
  • If the text is still too long after scaling down, it will wrap to additional lines.
  • Good for headlines, CTAs, or short labels where single-line display is preferred but wrapping is an acceptable fallback.
• Box
  • Wraps text within the layer boundary and scales the font size up or down to fill the entire layer box.
  • Ensures the text layer is always visually filled, regardless of content length.
  • Good for dynamic text areas where you want consistent visual weight across versions (e.g., offer descriptions, product titles of varying length).

Example Text Fit Workflow

1. Select the text layer.
2. On the right-hand layer properties panel, click on the Text Fit field and select a Text Fit mode.
3. For feed-driven text, click on Feeds from the left navigation menu and preview a few versions to confirm the text renders correctly across different content lengths.

Tip: When using feed-driven text with varying lengths, Box mode is often the best choice to ensure all versions look balanced. Use Line mode when you want to prioritize single-line display for short-form text like CTAs or taglines.

Display Specific Layer Properties

Some layer properties only apply when you’re working with Display assets:

• Display Static
• Display HTML5 / Rich Media
  • A display ad is typically referred to as Rich Media when video, audio, and/or interactivity is included.

Display Static Ads

• The Display static workspace offers a simplified view, as timeline and animation options are not applicable.
• Connecting to a feed for creative versioning is still available.

Display/ HTML5 / Rich Media Ads

• Multi‑click option
  • By unclicking the ‘Apply Global Click Tag’ option, you can configure more than one click target in the ad (e.g., different areas can click through to different URLs).

Example Multi-Click Workflow:

1. On the Asset properties panel, choose the number of click tags to be set for an asset. 

   

2. On individual layers, assign a clickTag.                                                                                   

   

3. Then add a URL or link to a column on a Data Feed.

• Rich Media Display Controls
  • Includes ability to add Play and Volume buttons to an asset (dark/light button options available), as well as set configurations that allow assets to be Muted by Default and to Auto Play.

• Max Loop
  • Sets the maximum number of animation loops the Display ad should run before stopping, which prevents infinite looping.

• Compression
  • Controls how the final Display creative is compressed and optimized.
  • On asset properties panel, a user can configure the initial load size and subload size needed for a display HTML5/Rich Media asset. Layers will automatically compress to meet compression standards.
    • While most publishers follow IAB standards, some publishers have custom requirements around load and subload sizes.
  • Individual compression size limits are also available for Image/Video layers on the properties panel. Default selection is auto detected.
  • When reviewing completed assets, exact load/subload setting are visible on the right panel of the Review page.

Example Compression Setting Workflow:

On Asset Properties panel set compression initial load and subload limits.       

• For best results when adding a video layer, upload an .mp4 at 720p resolution, and under 5 MB in file size. 

• If a video layer is too large, you’ll see a warning that it may not be achievable to compress the video enough to meet IAB display ad standards.

Design asset(s), then go to Review tab to preview completed assets.

• If you’re unhappy with the resolution quality of an individual layer, manually adjust compression limit for that layer.
• If Design Lab is unable to compress the asset to meet desired file sizes, then a warning will show, and you’ll need to provide lower resolution base images/videos, so as to achieve the desired display load/subload settings for digital ad serving.

Section 5: Integrations

Import Photoshop Files

• Importing photoshop files can be handed by clicking the ‘Import Photoshop File’ menu option on the Workspace menu.
  • You will be prompted to select the .psd file you’d like to import from your desktops

• When you import a PSD file, Design Lab will analyze the file and convert each Photoshop element into an equivalent layer.

Import Display Zip Files

Design Lab supports importing pre-built HTML5 display creatives packaged as .zip files. This is used when a client or external agency provides a finished HTML5 creative and you need to set up click-through URLs, run IAB compliance checks, and prepare the asset for ad serving — rather than building the creative from scratch in Design Lab.

The HTML5 Zip workflow uses a limited subset of Design Lab features. When you switch to the Zip workflow, standard Design Lab capabilities like layers control, animation editing, and keyframe settings are not available.

A confirmation message will explain this before the switch occurs, and any existing work on the current asset in the standard animated workflow will be removed.

Prerequisites

Before importing a zip file, review HTML5 Display Creative Guidelines for XR Digital Advertising. 

Key requirements for a valid HTML5 zip:

• Must contain a single root file named index.html
• All asset references (images, CSS, JS, fonts, video) must use relative paths — no external CDN links
• Must include an <meta name="ad.size" content="width=...,height=..."> tag in the <head> of index.html
• Click-throughs must be implemented using the clickTag query parameter (not hardcoded URLs)
• Must not contain nested <iframe> elements

Example HTML5 Zip Import Workflow (ZIP file in XR Platform)

1. Create asset meta data, and upload the HTML5 Zip import into the XR Platform
   • For Type, select Display/HTML5 (no video/audio) or Display/Rich Media (includes video/audio).
2. Open in Design Lab using ‘Edit in Design Lab button’
3. Creative opens in ZIP wizard, and you can proceed with adding a click through URL to the Click Tag Configuration section. (XR reporting system supports reporting on cickTag0-clickTag4, but additional clickTags can be configured as needed - but they will not be reportable in the XR system)
4. Review Validations
   • Warnings will appear on the left menu if the creative does not meet IAB standards (e.g., file size exceeds initial load or subload limits, missing metadata, etc.).
   • The warning indicator displays Compressed Size — this may differ from the uncompressed size shown for individual assets underneath.

Example: Click Tag Configuration Section

Example: Compression Size

Example HTML5 Zip Import Workflow (ZIP file is NOT in XR Platform)

1. Create asset meta data (do not upload an asset file)
2. Open in Design Lab, and set dimensions when prompted
3. Import the Zip file
   • In the Workspace Menu, click the three-dot menu for an asset, then click ‘Import Display Zip File’ option.
   • A confirmation message will appear explaining that switching to the Zip workflow will remove any existing animated workflow content. Click Proceed with switch.
   • Select the .zip file from your computer and upload it.
4. Similar to previous workflow - configure click-through URLs using Click Tag Configurations option, and review validations.

Import AE Files

Design Lab supports importing Adobe After Effects video projects as .zip packages via the AE Wizard workflow. This is used when a client or agency provides a finished After Effects project and you need to bring it into Design Lab for DCO versioning — connecting it to a data feed, linking text/image layers to feed columns, and publishing versions to the XR platform.

The AE Wizard is a separate workflow from the standard Video Studio and Display Animated workflows. It does not attempt to replicate After Effects' full feature set inside Design Lab. Instead, it focuses on importing the rendered AE output so that feed-driven versioning, layer linking, and publishing can be handled within Design Lab.

Prerequisites

• The client or agency provides the After Effects project packaged as a .zip file, which should include:
  • The .aep project file
  • All source assets used in the project (images, fonts, video clips, audio)
  • Custom/brand fonts as OTF or TTF files
• A Versioning Master asset has been created in the XR Platform.
• A data feed has been created (if feed-driven versioning is needed).

AE Wizard Limitations
The AE Wizard supports simple animations and feed-driven layer replacement. The following After Effects features are not supported:

• Pre-compositions (pre-comps)
• Motion blur and blur adjustments
• Masking
• Advanced video effects (e.g., glow, particles)
• Effect plugins from After Effects
• Per-character kerning control
• Custom output format/codec control

Note: Video quality on the Designer page may appear lower than the final output. This is intentional to improve load speed. The full-quality render is available on the Review page.

Example AE Wizard Import Workflow

1. Create the Versioning Master asset in the XR Platform (Ad Serving Module).
   • Click + New Creative, select the Advertiser, and click +Create Asset.
   • Set Type to Video, and Content Version Type to Versioning Master.
2. Open in Design Lab by clicking the Edit in Design Lab button from the asset details page.
3. Select Video AE Wizard when prompted to choose a workflow (instead of Video Studio).
4. Select Screen Presets for the desired output dimensions.
5. Upload the AE .zip package — Design Lab will parse the After Effects project and import the rendered composition.
6. Link a data feed (if using feed-driven versioning):
   • Click Feeds from the left navigation menu.
   • Click Link Feed File and select the appropriate feed.
   • Link text and image layers to feed columns using the layer properties panel.
7. Preview versions — Go to the Review tab and click Render to generate tear sheets for QA.
   • Share the tear sheet URL with the client for approval (no platform login required to view).
8. Publish — Once the creative is approved, click Publish to push the Versioning Master and all Version assets to the XR platform.

Tip: For enterprise clients with complex motion/brand requirements that exceed the AE Wizard's capabilities, consider the managed-service AE + Templater workflow, which provides precision creative control through the Direct Response (DR) pipeline.

Section 6: Templates

Templates help you reuse existing designs created in Design Lab, instead of rebuilding from scratch. A template is a saved layout that includes an asset (or assets), layers, and animation.

If a Versioning Master asset was created using a data feed, the data feed connections does not get preserved.

Use templates when you want to:

• Keep consistent layouts across campaigns and brands
• Speed up setup for similar formats (e.g., recurring display/social units)
• You want an easy starting point that’s already “on brand”

Save as Template

If you have an existing design that you’d like to use again later, save it as a template in Design Lab.

• Use “Save as Template” option from the Workspace Toolbar.

• Templates can be:
  • Based on a single asset, or
  • Created from a workspace with several assets.

Using a Template

Once a template exists:

• Start new creatives from a template to inherit:
  • Layout
  • Basic styles
  • Default animations
• Then:
  • Connect a new feed (if using dynamic versions), or
  • Swap out media and copy for a new campaign.

This drastically reduces setup time for similar campaigns or recurring formats.

Section 7: Feeds

Feeds allow Design Lab to generate and update many creative versions from a single spreadsheet. Each row typically represents one version (e.g., product, market, offer), and columns drive content and targeting.

Feed Types

Feeds are created and managed in the XR Platform (Ad Serving Module - Data Feeds), then linked to Design Lab.

• File Import (Manual Feed)
  • Upload an excel file (.xlsx)
  • Good for one‑time or infrequently changing campaigns.
  • An option to download Feed Sheet Template is available.

• Microsoft 365 Excel (Manual or Refreshable Feed)
  • Connect to a publicly shared OneDrive/SharePoint Excel file.
    • Make sure the sheet is publicly available, so the XR system can access without permission issues. XR can also provide a shareable excel file that a user can update and connect.
• Google Sheets (Manual or Refreshable Feed)
  • Connect to a live Google Sheet via URL.
    • Make sure the sheet is publicly available, so the XR system can access without permission issues.
  • Supports auto‑refresh on a schedule (e.g., every 30m, 1h, 2h, etc.).
  • Row/column changes flow through to XR and Design Lab after each refresh.

Manual vs Refreshable feeds

• Manual Feeds (File Import)
  • Data is updated only when you upload a new file.
  • Best for:
    • Small or fixed version sets.
    • Campaigns with limited change during flight.
• Refreshable Feeds (Google / MS365)
  • Data is pulled from the source document on a refresh schedule (30m, 1h, 2h, etc.)
    • If you would like a custom setting, please reach out to your XR account manager who will verify if the setting is possible.
    • Auto‑refresh pauses after 30 days of no detected updates. Paused status is visible on the XR Platform Data Feed search page.

• After an update to a refreshable google/excel feed, it may take up to ~1 minute for the change to be visible in the XR system.
• Best for:
  • Always‑on or frequently changing campaigns.
  • Automating new asset creation.
  • Real-time Display ads where text updates based on connected refreshable feed.

Setting Up and Previewing a Data Feed in XR Platform

Feeds need to be set up before opening Design Lab.

Getting Oriented: Data Feeds page in XR Platform 

• New feeds can be created using ‘New Feed’ button on the right of the page.
• Existing feeds can be found using filters.
• The button at the end of the feed row lets a user edit, preview, and refresh a feed. If a feed is in Created status, it can also be deleted.

• Instructions for filling out a Data Feed are available on the ‘Instructions’ tab of the Data Feed Sheet Template.
  • Each column on a data feed represents a specific creative attribute (e.g., logo, text, click-through URL, end card video asset, data signal, etc).
  • Every row on the data feed maps to a Version asset.
  • The first column of a data feed (ISCI) is a required column and must contain a unique value.

Example New Data Feed Workflow (Manual):

1. Download the sample template, and user/client fills in relevant columns.
2. Click ‘New Feed’ option on Data Feeds page, File Import option then set:
   • Feed Name, Advertiser, Brand (optional), Product (optional)
   • Upload the completed file
3. Preview the uploaded feed, which happens automatically after upload.

Example New Data Feed Workflow (Refreshable):

1. Click ‘New Feed’ option on Data Feed page, select Microsoft Office 365/Google Sheet option, then set:
   • Feed Name, Advertiser, Brand (optional), Product (optional)
   • Paste the public or shareable URL.
2. Preview the uploaded feed, which happens automatically after upload.

Data feed statuses include:

• Created: New data feed not connected to a Versioning Master asset Design Lab.
• Active: Connected to a Versioning Master asset in Design Lab, but the asset has not been published.
• Published: Connected to a published Versioning Master asset in Design Lab.
• Failed: Data feed containing errors and/or not connected to a Versioning Master asset in Design Lab.

If a feed has an error, it will show as ‘Failed’ for the status on the Data Feed search page, and on preview will include details about the error and how to resolve it. 

If a manual feed is in Active or Published state, then an error will show preventing the feed from being replaced by a feed with an error.

If a refreshable feed has an error introduced, then a notification email will be sent to the user who created the feed.

Linking, Unlinking, and Using a Data Feed in Design Lab

Once a feed exists in XR, you can connect it to a Versioning Master using the Feeds option on the Design Lab left navigation menu.

Clicking Link feed file will show available feeds in Created status, or Active/Published feeds if previously associated with this same Versioning Master asset.

Example Data Feed Linking Workflow

1. Upload a data feed in the XR Platform
2. Open the Versioning Master asset in Design Lab
3. Click Feeds from the left navigation menu, and click Link Feed File
4. From the list of available feeds, find your newly created feed, then click Use Selected Feed.
5. If you need to make an update to your feed, you can easily access it by clicking the ‘See Details' button
6. Click Workspace from the left navigation menu, use the three-dot button to see + Add Layer option.
7. Add a new layer using From Linked Field option and select the column to link.
8. (Optional) On Versioning Master, configure Feed Settings using the properties panel
   • Link Versions to Master - Recommended for digital ad serving
   • Auto apply feed changes - Beneficial for automating workflow when using a refreshable feed)
   • Auto publish when feed changes - Results in new assets being created when a refreshable data feed is updated. Only applies when Versioning Master asset has already been published.
9. To replace or unlink a Data Feed, use the buttons on the bottom of the Feeds menu in Design Lab.

• Prior to publishing a Versioning Master and Version assets, data feeds can be easily modified to add new columns and rows, and updates will be visible in Design Lab when clicking Feeds on the left navigation bar.
• After a versioning master asset is published, existing Data Feed rows and columns cannot be deleted, but new rows and columns can be added.
  • Adding new rows will result in publishing of new assets, based on Feed Setting configurations in Design Lab this can happen automatically or by clicking ‘republish’
  • Adding new columns will result in new available creative attributes that you can add to a Versioning Master asset. Re-publishing will result in new Version assets being created, and associated with the Versioning Master asset.

Custom Mode

When a Versioning Master is connected to a data feed as part of feed-based versioning, individual versions of assets can be viewed by clicking Feeds on Left Navigation menu.

If unique version level updates need to be made (without affecting global settings), go to the version that needs to be updated and use the Custom Mode toggle.

Custom Mode lets you:

• Make per-version asset updates to:
  • Layout (position and size of elements)
  • Rotation
  • Basic styling (e.g., font size, color)

This is especially useful when a particular product or message needs special spacing, longer copy, or unique image treatment.

Dynamic Display HTML5 Ads

A dynamic display HTML5 ad is an asset that can include text layers linked to a dynamic data feed. When the data feed is updated, the display ad will show the next text automatically in real-time (without the need to create new Versions of an asset). 

With real‑time updates:

• You update the feed (e.g., a Google Sheet or refreshable feed source).
• The platform ingests the change and updates the Display HTML5 creative.
• The display JS/iframe tag automatically shows the latest version of the asset.

You do not need to re‑publish or re-traffic the HTML5 creative for every small content change.

Example Dynamic Display HTML5 AD Workflow

1. Create a refreshable data feed and connect it to a display Versioning Master asset in design lab
2. Add a text layer, connect it to a data feed column and check the ‘Real-time macro’ button.
   • If you want to create only one asset, fill-in just a single row of the Data Feed.
3. Publish the display asset in Design Lab
4. Add the display ad to an XR media plan, and traffic like usual.
5. Update the data feed with new text, and refresh data feed or let data feed automatically refresh, then you’ll see the updates on the trafficked display ad.                               

Using Feeds to Automate Asset Creation

Properly configured feeds and settings allow Design Lab and XR to auto‑create and auto‑publish assets.

Example Automation Workflow:

1. Add a refreshable feed to Data Feed page in XR Platform.
2. Connect the feed to a Versioning Master asset in Design Lab, and add layers connected to a feed to your design.
3. Go to the feed settings on the Versioning Master Properties panel and make sure below options are set:
   • Auto apply feed changes
   • Auto publish when feed changes
4. Review Versions on the Review tab, then click Publish.
5. New rows added to the feed will automatically generate new Versions.
6. If auto-publishing is enabled, new assets will be automatically published to XR platform.
   • For new Versions to be available for ad serving, the media plan will need to be republished.

Section 8: Find and Replace

The ‘Find & Replace’ option on the top right side of Design Lab, lets you quickly swap text, images, or video across one or more assets in your workspace

This is especially useful when you need to make bulk content changes across multiple assets created through direct versioning (e.g., updating a headline, swapping a product image, or replacing a video clip across several display sizes at once).

Supported Content Types:

• Text — Find a specific text string and replace it with new text across selected scope. Useful for updating headlines, CTAs, disclaimers, or legal copy across multiple assets.
• Image — Replace an existing image with a new image file. Useful for swapping product shots, logos, or background images across assets.
• Video — Replace an existing video clip with a new video file. Useful for updating hero videos or end cards across multiple video assets.

Example Find & Replace Workflow (Text)

1. From the Workspace Toolbar, click the Find & Replace option.
2. Select the scope: Global (all assets) or Layer (selected layer only).
3. Choose the content type: Text.
4. In the Find field, enter the text you want to locate.
5. In the Replace field, enter the new text.
6. Click Replace to apply the change.
7. Review the updated assets in the workspace to confirm the changes look correct.

Tip: Find & Replace is ideal for direct versioning workflows where you've created multiple assets of different sizes from a Versioning Master. For feed-driven versioning, content is controlled by the data feed — update the feed instead.

Section 9: Review

The Review tab is where you preview your completed assets, generate tear sheets (shareable links) for QA, and share creatives with clients for approval before publishing. You access it by clicking Review on the top bar of Design Lab.

Review Tab Layout

The Review tab uses a 3-panel layout:

• Left Sidebar (Asset Filmstrip) — Displays a scrollable list of thumbnails for all assets and versions in the workspace. Click a thumbnail to select it and load it in the central viewer. A search option is available to quickly find a specific asset by name.
• Center Panel (Viewer) — Previews the currently selected asset at full quality. The viewer defaults to 100% zoom so users see the true size of the creative. For video and animated assets, playback controls are available directly below the viewer (play, pause, scrub, mute/unmute).
• Right Panel (Details) — Displays properties and feed metadata for the selected asset. For Display HTML5/Rich Media assets, this panel shows compressed file sizes (initial load and subload), which is important for confirming the creative meets publisher and IAB requirements.

Rendering Assets

Assets auto-render when you navigate to the Review tab.

• Display assets render instantly.
• Video assets may take a minute or two to render with assets showing as they become available.
• If an asset has no layers, it will display a "Skipped – screen has no layers" message in the filmstrip instead of rendering. Other valid assets in the workspace will still render normally.
• If there are data feed issues or errors that prevent rendering, error details will be displayed on screen.

Display Properties on Review

For Display HTML5/Rich Media assets, the right panel shows the exact initial load size and subload size of the compressed creative.

If the creative exceeds the configured file size limits, a warning will appear. You may need to return to the Design tab and adjust compression settings or provide lower resolution source files.

Sharing for Approval

The Review tab includes a sharing feature that lets you send a preview link to clients or stakeholders for approval.  

• Click the Share button to generate a shareable URL.
• The shareable link does not require a platform login to view — anyone with the link can preview the creatives.
• This is the primary mechanism for getting client sign-off before publishing.

Note: At this time, feedback and approval should be captured manually and are not part of the XR platform. 

Example Review Workflow

1. Complete your creative design on the Design tab.
2. Click Review on the top bar — assets will begin auto-rendering.
3. Browse versions using the left sidebar filmstrip, clicking thumbnails to preview each asset in the central viewer.
4. For video assets, use playback controls to verify timing and audio.
5. For Display assets, check load/subload sizes in the right panel.
6. Click Share to generate a shareable URL and send to the client for approval.
7. Once approval is received, return to Design Lab and click Publish.

Tip: The central viewer defaults to 100% zoom so approvers see the creative at true size. For large video assets, the viewer will auto-scale to fit the preview pane while keeping controls visible.

Section 10: Publishing and Republishing

Publishing pushes your completed creatives from Design Lab to the XR platform, making them available for ad serving. Republishing lets you update previously published assets when creative changes are needed.

Publishing

What happens when you publish:

• For Versioning Master assets with "Link Versions to Master" enabled, publishing creates an asset in the XR platform for each asset version. Each Version is linked to the Versioning Master. The Versioning Master itself is not ad-serve eligible — only the linked Versions are eligible for ad serving.
• For Versioning Master assets with "Link Versions to Master" disabled, published creatives become standalone assets with no linkage back to the Versioning Master. These are treated as standard creatives and are not eligible for DCO Targeting.

• For non-Versioning Master assets (standard creatives), publishing replaces the current asset in the XR platform.
  • For example, editing a standard social video ad and clicking publish results in a new version of the social video replacing the older version.

Note: Video creatives go through QA on the platform after publishing. Display creatives do not require platform QA.

Example Publishing Workflow

1. Complete your creative design on the Design tab.
2. Click Review on the top bar — assets will auto-render.
3. Preview versions and verify quality (see Section 9).
4. Click Share to send a shareable URL to the client for approval.
5. Once approval is received, click Publish in the Design Lab header.

Republishing

Republishing allows you to update previously published assets when creative changes are made in Design Lab. This is useful when a click-through URL needs to change, copy needs updating, or imagery needs to be swapped after the initial publish.

What happens when you republish:

When you republish, Design Lab compares the current published Version content against the updated Design Lab output for each Version:

• Unchanged Versions — The existing media object in the XR platform is reused. No new asset is created.
• Changed Versions — A new media object is created with the updated creative. The ISCI is updated with a version suffix: v1, v2, v3, and so on, appended to the end of the ISCI to indicate the version iteration. For example, if the original ISCI was ABCD1234, the first republish with changes would produce ABCD1234_v2, the next ABCD1234_v3, etc.
• Linkage is maintained — When "Link Versions to Master" is enabled, all Versions remain linked to the same Versioning Master after republishing.

Republishing with Feed Changes

After a Versioning Master asset is published, the connected Data Feed can still be updated — but with some restrictions:

• Existing rows and columns cannot be deleted, but new rows and columns can be added.
• Adding new rows results in new Version assets being created. Based on Feed Settings in Design Lab, this can happen automatically (if "Auto-create and Publish" is enabled) or manually by clicking Republish.
• Adding new columns makes new creative attributes available that you can add to the Versioning Master asset. Republishing will create new Version assets with the updated content.
• Updating existing data (text, images, video) in the feed will be reflected in Design Lab. Republishing will push those changes to the XR platform, and changed Versions will receive an updated ISCI with the next version suffix (v1, v2, v3, etc.).

Automated Publishing

For feed-driven workflows, Design Lab supports automated asset creation and publishing when a connected refreshable feed is updated.

To enable automation:

1. On the Versioning Master properties panel, enable the following Feed Settings:
   • Auto-publish assets from feed — Design Lab listens for feed changes and applies them automatically.
2. New rows added to the feed will automatically generate new Versions and publish them to the XR platform.

Note: For new Versions to be available for ad serving, the media plan will need to be re-trafficked. If you would like to automate the media plan re-trafficking process, please contact your account manager as additional backend work will be required.

Section 11: Asset Publishing Statistics

The Statistics option gives you a quick snapshot of how many assets have been published from Design Lab to the XR platform for the current customer account. This is useful for tracking creative output and monitoring usage against subscription caps.

Accessing Statistics

• Click the Statistics icon in the top-right corner of the Design Lab header.
• A popup will appear showing a summary of published assets for your account.

What the Statistics Report Shows

The statistics popup displays the number of assets that have been published from Design Lab, broken down by asset type:

• Video — Includes standard video assets and AE Wizard assets.
• Display Animated — Includes HTML5/Rich Media display assets and Display Zip Wizard assets.
• Display Static — Includes static display assets.

How assets are counted:

• Only assets that were actually uploaded to the XR platform are included.
• If the same media object was reused across different creative versions (e.g., an unchanged Version during a republish), it is not counted as a new asset.
• For a standard asset — such as using Design Lab to adjust the aspect ratio of one social creative — publishing counts as a single asset. Making an update and publishing again counts as a second asset.
• The statistics are generated live each time you click the statistics icon — data is not cached.

Full Report Export

At the bottom of the statistics popup, a Full Report option generates an Excel file with detailed data grouped by Advertiser and Brand. 

Use cases for the full report:

• Reviewing usage against subscription caps (e.g., 6,000 assets/month).
• Supporting billing calculations for per-asset pricing models.
• Tracking Design Lab adoption across advertisers and brands within a customer account.

Note: Statistics are reported at the customer, advertiser, and brand level — not the individual user level.

Section 12: Ongoing Support

Even after Design Lab onboarding is complete, XR remains available to support your team.

Activation Team Support

Our Digital Activation team is available to answer questions, troubleshoot issues, and provide guidance throughout your self-service journey.

Support Hours

Monday–Friday

9:00 AM–9:00 PM ET

Response Times

Office Hours

During your onboarding period, XR may provide recurring office hours where your team can:

• Ask workflow questions
• Review creative projects
• Receive implementation guidance
• Learn best practices
• Explore advanced Design Lab features

Office hours are intended to supplement this guide and help your team become comfortable working independently.

Product Updates

Design Lab continues to evolve with new capabilities and enhancements.

As part of the Self-Service Program, you'll receive:

• Product enhancement updates
• Workflow improvements
• Best practice recommendations
• Updated documentation
• Feature release information