Unified Merchant Customization Descriptor: Connecting two isolated workstreams into a shared product architecture before either locked its foundation.

While mapping the problem I identified a parallel workstream: a different PM, different brief, different timeline, designing a visual editor for the payment page itself. Two features, built in isolation, solving the same underlying merchant need: "I want my payment experience to reflect my brand." I flagged the overlap to my PM, reached out directly to the second PM, and got them on a call. A full merge wasn't possible: separate funding, separate timelines. But we agreed on something concrete: I would design the email personalization feature with future convergence in mind, laying an architectural foundation the visual editor could eventually connect to without either project being rebuilt. The structural decisions: shared customization logic, compatible UI patterns, aligned settings architecture, were documented and communicated to both PMs and engineering.