A design system is not…

06 Dec 2024

• a UI kit
• a sticker sheet
• a component library
• a brand book
• a code library
• design tokens
• usage guidelines
• one size fits all
• generic, off-the-shelf, prebuilt

A design system CAN contain these things, but it’s much more than these parts.

So, what is a design system then?

An effective design system is about people working together to support its company/organization.

• It should be collaborative by folks across org roles and specialties
• It should grow and adapt to the changing needs of its org
  • Startups have different needs than megacorps
• It should be customized to your product space
  • Retail, e-commerce, fintech, consumer, b2b - these have much different product needs
• The term Design shouldn’t even be leading the name. Calling it something like Product systems would help clarify the purpose and be more inclusive to partners outside the design org.
  • Engineering, product, brand, content, research, ops, all these departments should be involved to various degrees at different phases of the system’s maturity.

If your ‘design system’ is only a figma file, stop calling it one.

• A concept of a system is not yet a system.
• Make it a collaboration, build with engineers from the start, otherwise it’s just hopes and dreams
• Make it custom, it should be tailored to your product/org not generic
• Don’t try to tackle it all from the start, mature the system as needed. Tokens can come later, documentation can start simple, iterate.
• Work to connect people first, then start building together.

Remember that a system is about people.

Ready to collaborate? Fostering collaboration in Design Systems