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On this page
  • 1️⃣ What is a design system?
  • 2️⃣ How does a design system help?
  • 3️⃣ When do you need a design system?
  1. Product Design
  2. Design System

Introduction to design systems

PreviousDesign SystemNextHow to audit a design system

Last updated 1 year ago

1️⃣ What is a design system?

A design system acts as a toolbox for designers and developers. It is a repository of reusable components and guidelines on how to use them, to ensure consistency in designs across various products and platforms. By offering solutions to common problems, it enables teams to work more efficiently and dedicate more time to addressing critical user and business needs.

A set of connected patterns and shared practices, coherently organized to serve the purpose of a digital product - Alla Kholmatova

2️⃣ How does a design system help?

  • Consistency: A design system ensures that all products and platforms have the same look, feel, and functionality, making them easier for users to recognize and navigate.

  • Efficiency: By providing reusable components and clear guidelines, design systems make it quicker and simpler for teams to create new designs and features, saving time and effort in the development & design process.

  • Scalability: Design systems make it easy to add new features or expand products without sacrificing consistency, ensuring that everything continues to work smoothly as the project grows.

  • Collaboration: Design systems help teams work better together by giving everyone a common set of tools and principles to follow, making it easier to share ideas and work together effectively.

  • Maintainability: Design systems make it easier to update and improve designs over time, ensuring that everything stays up-to-date and consistent without requiring a lot of extra work.

Similar to how a UI kit or Figma library accelerates designers' work and a component library helps engineers code faster, a design system empowers product teams to deliver software to customers faster and better.

3️⃣ When do you need a design system?

A well-executed design system can really shake things up for organizations dealing with scalability challenges. Here are some signs that it's time to start thinking about investing in one :

  1. Growing complexity: As product offerings and team sizes continue to grow, maintaining consistency becomes increasingly challenging. This is where a design system comes into play, ensuring that expansion doesn't compromise a cohesive experience.

  2. Repetitive efforts: Designers and developers often find themselves solving for same and repeating problems time and again across different projects. This repetition signals a clear need for a design system to streamline workflows and address these recurring challenges effectively.

  3. Desire for streamlined operations: Organizations are increasingly expressing a desire for smoother operations, aiming to optimize workflows, eliminate unnecessary repetition, and ensure a cohesive user experience. This hints at a need for implementing a design system.

  4. Desire for consistent user experience: The desire for a consistent user experience is evident when considering how inconsistencies across various flows can result in a less-than-optimal experience for the end user. Design systems can effectively address these discrepancies and ensure a seamless and cohesive experience.

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