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ARTICLE #125
Table of contents
Design System: A step-by-step guide to build the best one
Written by:
5 min read
Updated on: October 18, 2024
Samson Mosilily
Senior Regional Manager
African Market, Regional Management, Growth
Samson Mosilily
Senior Regional Manager
African Market, Regional Management, Growth
Designing something fresh is always exciting, but making it reusable for the next person? That’s the real game-changer. That’s exactly where a design system steps in—by ensuring new elements aren’t just “cool,” they’re also easy to replicate and adapt. Consider a design system as the invisible backbone that holds your product’s aesthetic together. It’s packed with guidelines such as colours, typography, icon sets, button styles, and even the language you use so nobody has to guess whether that new pop-up window or form field fits the brand. Instead of redoing everything from scratch, teams tap into a well-organized library of components, saving time, cutting back on errors, and (crucially) keeping the user experience consistent.
But it’s not just about pretty visuals or streamlined code. A strong design system helps new hires get up to speed quickly, builds stronger collaboration between designers and developers, and spares everyone the headache of too many “creative” approaches that only lead to confusion. Over the long haul, it can adapt to your brand’s evolution, whether you are rolling out fresh features or merging with another company without losing that sense of cohesion people rely on. Let’s find practical steps for building design systems and putting them into action.
Designing something fresh is always exciting, but making it reusable for the next person? That’s the real game-changer. That’s exactly where a design system steps in—by ensuring new elements aren’t just “cool,” they’re also easy to replicate and adapt. Consider a design system as the invisible backbone that holds your product’s aesthetic together. It’s packed with guidelines such as colours, typography, icon sets, button styles, and even the language you use so nobody has to guess whether that new pop-up window or form field fits the brand. Instead of redoing everything from scratch, teams tap into a well-organized library of components, saving time, cutting back on errors, and (crucially) keeping the user experience consistent.
But it’s not just about pretty visuals or streamlined code. A strong design system helps new hires get up to speed quickly, builds stronger collaboration between designers and developers, and spares everyone the headache of too many “creative” approaches that only lead to confusion. Over the long haul, it can adapt to your brand’s evolution, whether you are rolling out fresh features or merging with another company without losing that sense of cohesion people rely on. Let’s find practical steps for building design systems and putting them into action.
What is a design system?
What is a design system?
A design system is a set of reusable elements and guidelines (consider it as your brand’s shared vocabulary) that unify how you create and maintain products or services. These components might include colour palettes, icons, typography, layout patterns, and even the tone of your product’s language.
The real point of a design system is ensuring your brand stays consistent while giving designers and developers a central reference for building new features, pages, or entire products. It’s not just about the look, either—done properly, it can improve usability and overall user experience.
Why bother with a design system?
Ever tried fishing for the right icon in a sea of random files? Or felt that nagging sense that your product pages look like they’ve been designed by seven different people who never spoke to each other? That’s where a design system swoops in and saves the day.
Coherent user experience: Customers feel they are using one product rather than pieced-together bits of different ones.
Faster development: Instead of reinventing the wheel each time, you reuse established components and patterns.
Brand consistency: Your colours, typography, and spacing remain uniform across every platform, app, and web page.
Reduced frustration: A single library of elements prevents staff from rummaging through ten different icon sets or random style sheets.
A design system is a set of reusable elements and guidelines (consider it as your brand’s shared vocabulary) that unify how you create and maintain products or services. These components might include colour palettes, icons, typography, layout patterns, and even the tone of your product’s language.
The real point of a design system is ensuring your brand stays consistent while giving designers and developers a central reference for building new features, pages, or entire products. It’s not just about the look, either—done properly, it can improve usability and overall user experience.
Why bother with a design system?
Ever tried fishing for the right icon in a sea of random files? Or felt that nagging sense that your product pages look like they’ve been designed by seven different people who never spoke to each other? That’s where a design system swoops in and saves the day.
Coherent user experience: Customers feel they are using one product rather than pieced-together bits of different ones.
Faster development: Instead of reinventing the wheel each time, you reuse established components and patterns.
Brand consistency: Your colours, typography, and spacing remain uniform across every platform, app, and web page.
Reduced frustration: A single library of elements prevents staff from rummaging through ten different icon sets or random style sheets.
1. Define the goals of your design system
Ever tried throwing a fancy new button into your product, only to realise halfway through development that you are not sure why you are building it in the first place? That’s precisely why defining the goals of your design system is mission-critical. You don’t want to invest time and energy in a system that’s just going to collect dust or worse, create more chaos than it solves.
Start with your organisation’s objectives: Before you whip up a colour palette or spin up a new component library, get clarity on the bigger picture. Whatever your goals, tie them back to what the organisation actually needs—because there’s no point in building a design system that doesn’t solve real-world problems.
Identify specific challenges: Ask yourself, which pain points are you trying to tackle? Are customers consistently confused by mismatched navigation patterns across your apps and marketing site? Be honest about where the bottlenecks are. Sometimes the hardest part is admitting there’s a problem… and that your rainbow of 47 brand colours might need to be whittled down.
Research user expectations and workflow hiccups: If your team’s been stumbling over the same design issues or if your customers keep lodging the same complaints, dig deeper. Gathering user feedback and internal pain points gives you a clearer roadmap of what your design system should fix.
Set measurable goals: Concrete targets are your friends. “Speed up design handoffs by 30%” or “ensure consistent branding across all products in under six months” gives you something tangible to aim for and later measure.
Ever tried throwing a fancy new button into your product, only to realise halfway through development that you are not sure why you are building it in the first place? That’s precisely why defining the goals of your design system is mission-critical. You don’t want to invest time and energy in a system that’s just going to collect dust or worse, create more chaos than it solves.
Start with your organisation’s objectives: Before you whip up a colour palette or spin up a new component library, get clarity on the bigger picture. Whatever your goals, tie them back to what the organisation actually needs—because there’s no point in building a design system that doesn’t solve real-world problems.
Identify specific challenges: Ask yourself, which pain points are you trying to tackle? Are customers consistently confused by mismatched navigation patterns across your apps and marketing site? Be honest about where the bottlenecks are. Sometimes the hardest part is admitting there’s a problem… and that your rainbow of 47 brand colours might need to be whittled down.
Research user expectations and workflow hiccups: If your team’s been stumbling over the same design issues or if your customers keep lodging the same complaints, dig deeper. Gathering user feedback and internal pain points gives you a clearer roadmap of what your design system should fix.
Set measurable goals: Concrete targets are your friends. “Speed up design handoffs by 30%” or “ensure consistent branding across all products in under six months” gives you something tangible to aim for and later measure.
2. Audit current design assets and processes
Once you’re set on creating (or refining) a design system, the next logical step is to take stock of your existing resources. Gather everything your teams already use to build websites or apps—style guides, icon libraries, colour palettes, typography choices, spacing conventions, and anything else lurking in shared folders. Even that one obscure plugin your lead developer swears by is worth noting. You might discover some pleasant surprises, like a neat typography system that’s already half-finished, or a hidden gem of an icon set that’s been quietly collecting digital dust.
Spot the overlaps and inconsistencies: With your assets all in one place, it’s time to weed out redundancies and mismatched bits. Narrow down your “design tokens” such as common building blocks like fonts, accent colours, and button styles to create a consistent visual language. This step not only streamlines your workflow but also saves everyone from guesswork because nothing kills momentum faster than a team debate over which shade of blue is the real brand blue.
Decide on a platform or toolset: Some organisations love starting completely fresh, while others prefer using a tool like Frontify or Figma Libraries to host and maintain their design system. Either approach works; just keep it as uncluttered as possible. The more bloat you introduce, the harder it is to keep your system up to date. And the second it becomes a chore to maintain, people stop using it. So make it accessible, organised, and crystal clear.
Keep everyone in the loop: Remember, a successful design system isn’t created in a silo. Encourage open feedback and questions from the entire team—designers, developers, product managers, and even marketing folks. It’s better to have those “Wait, do we really need two versions of the logo?” discussions now rather than patch things up after everything’s supposedly “finished.”
Once you’re set on creating (or refining) a design system, the next logical step is to take stock of your existing resources. Gather everything your teams already use to build websites or apps—style guides, icon libraries, colour palettes, typography choices, spacing conventions, and anything else lurking in shared folders. Even that one obscure plugin your lead developer swears by is worth noting. You might discover some pleasant surprises, like a neat typography system that’s already half-finished, or a hidden gem of an icon set that’s been quietly collecting digital dust.
Spot the overlaps and inconsistencies: With your assets all in one place, it’s time to weed out redundancies and mismatched bits. Narrow down your “design tokens” such as common building blocks like fonts, accent colours, and button styles to create a consistent visual language. This step not only streamlines your workflow but also saves everyone from guesswork because nothing kills momentum faster than a team debate over which shade of blue is the real brand blue.
Decide on a platform or toolset: Some organisations love starting completely fresh, while others prefer using a tool like Frontify or Figma Libraries to host and maintain their design system. Either approach works; just keep it as uncluttered as possible. The more bloat you introduce, the harder it is to keep your system up to date. And the second it becomes a chore to maintain, people stop using it. So make it accessible, organised, and crystal clear.
Keep everyone in the loop: Remember, a successful design system isn’t created in a silo. Encourage open feedback and questions from the entire team—designers, developers, product managers, and even marketing folks. It’s better to have those “Wait, do we really need two versions of the logo?” discussions now rather than patch things up after everything’s supposedly “finished.”
3. Create a visual design language
A visual design language is what keeps your brand looking and feeling consistent, whether a junior designer is whipping up a landing page or an external agency is building a social media campaign. If you already have some brand elements like colour palettes or typography, congrats! That’s your starting line, not the finish. Documentation is where it all comes together, so don’t just throw “Hex #123ABC” into a doc and call it a day. Add some context. Explain why your brand uses that shade of blue or that particular font.
Icons: Mixed icon sets can make your product feel like a digital yard sale. Decide on a single style (flat, outlined, filled, etc.) and stick to it. If you need to add new icons, ensure they match the established look. Consistency here can save your interface from looking like a patchwork quilt.
Colour palettes: Don’t just say “use these colours.” Break them down—what’s the default for headers, backgrounds, buttons, or highlights? Provide examples of how each colour should (and shouldn’t) be used. Nothing’s worse than seeing your precious brand blue slapped onto a headline that becomes impossible to read.
Typography: Fonts are more than letters on a screen; they set the tone for your entire brand. Clearly define which typefaces to use for headlines, subheadings, and body text. Spell out the sizes, weights, and spacing rules, so nobody accidentally turns a button label into a giant billboard. Bonus points if you include line-height guidelines or show examples of each style in action.
Spacing rules: Ever wonder why some pages feel like everything’s crammed in, while others have weirdly empty patches? That’s usually a spacing issue. Decide on consistent margins and padding around core elements (buttons, images, text blocks) to keep your layout looking neat and uncluttered.
A visual design language is what keeps your brand looking and feeling consistent, whether a junior designer is whipping up a landing page or an external agency is building a social media campaign. If you already have some brand elements like colour palettes or typography, congrats! That’s your starting line, not the finish. Documentation is where it all comes together, so don’t just throw “Hex #123ABC” into a doc and call it a day. Add some context. Explain why your brand uses that shade of blue or that particular font.
Icons: Mixed icon sets can make your product feel like a digital yard sale. Decide on a single style (flat, outlined, filled, etc.) and stick to it. If you need to add new icons, ensure they match the established look. Consistency here can save your interface from looking like a patchwork quilt.
Colour palettes: Don’t just say “use these colours.” Break them down—what’s the default for headers, backgrounds, buttons, or highlights? Provide examples of how each colour should (and shouldn’t) be used. Nothing’s worse than seeing your precious brand blue slapped onto a headline that becomes impossible to read.
Typography: Fonts are more than letters on a screen; they set the tone for your entire brand. Clearly define which typefaces to use for headlines, subheadings, and body text. Spell out the sizes, weights, and spacing rules, so nobody accidentally turns a button label into a giant billboard. Bonus points if you include line-height guidelines or show examples of each style in action.
Spacing rules: Ever wonder why some pages feel like everything’s crammed in, while others have weirdly empty patches? That’s usually a spacing issue. Decide on consistent margins and padding around core elements (buttons, images, text blocks) to keep your layout looking neat and uncluttered.
4. Establish design principles and guidelines
Design principles aren’t just fancy words on a slide deck; they’re the compass that keeps your brand from veering off into random design decisions. If your product’s vibe is minimal, you don’t want random, neon-coloured pop-ups messing with that aesthetic. If you pride yourself on bold, expressive visuals, you might steer clear of bland layouts or dull colour schemes. The key is bringing a diverse group, such as developers, designers, and product managers, into the conversation, so these principles aren’t just a siloed design wish list.
Simplicity: “We avoid clutter and solve user needs in the most straightforward way possible. No design acrobatics is needed unless it truly benefits the user.”
Authenticity: “We maintain our brand voice and style across platforms. Just because TikTok is the new big thing doesn’t mean we switch up our entire look to chase clout.”
Accessibility: “Our products remain usable by people of all abilities and backgrounds. If someone can’t navigate your site with assistive tools, that’s a problem.”
Keeping these principles top-of-mind pays off when you are updating your design system or rolling out a new feature. Instead of debating 20 different button styles, your team can ask, “Does this button reflect our commitment to simplicity?” or “Does this colour palette align with our bold brand statement?” If it doesn’t, you know it’s time to hit the drawing board; no lengthy arguments are required.
Design principles aren’t just fancy words on a slide deck; they’re the compass that keeps your brand from veering off into random design decisions. If your product’s vibe is minimal, you don’t want random, neon-coloured pop-ups messing with that aesthetic. If you pride yourself on bold, expressive visuals, you might steer clear of bland layouts or dull colour schemes. The key is bringing a diverse group, such as developers, designers, and product managers, into the conversation, so these principles aren’t just a siloed design wish list.
Simplicity: “We avoid clutter and solve user needs in the most straightforward way possible. No design acrobatics is needed unless it truly benefits the user.”
Authenticity: “We maintain our brand voice and style across platforms. Just because TikTok is the new big thing doesn’t mean we switch up our entire look to chase clout.”
Accessibility: “Our products remain usable by people of all abilities and backgrounds. If someone can’t navigate your site with assistive tools, that’s a problem.”
Keeping these principles top-of-mind pays off when you are updating your design system or rolling out a new feature. Instead of debating 20 different button styles, your team can ask, “Does this button reflect our commitment to simplicity?” or “Does this colour palette align with our bold brand statement?” If it doesn’t, you know it’s time to hit the drawing board; no lengthy arguments are required.
5. Develop reusable UI components
Once your design principles are locked in, it’s time to get your hands dirty building the actual pieces. Consider this stage like assembling a LEGO set, you start with the small bricks before moving on to that epic Death Star model. Begin with the fundamentals: buttons, toggles, form fields, and any simple piece that repeats throughout your interface. If you try to tackle dashboards or page layouts right off the bat, you’ll likely drown in unnecessary complexity.
Basic elements: Buttons, icons, input fields—these show up everywhere, so nailing them early saves everyone from guesswork.
Intermediate elements: Modals, dropdowns, cards—slightly more complex but still standard across many products.
Complex modules: Navigation bars, page layouts, dashboards, multi-step forms—once you’ve tested the waters with simpler components, these bigger modules will fit together more seamlessly.
Document everything
Think of thorough documentation as the user manual for your design system. Include code snippets for developers, visual mocks or usage scenarios for designers, and a quick do’s-and-don’ts list for everyone else. No one wants to piece together a “primary button” from memory alone especially if there are subtle variations for different use cases.
Code snippets: Don’t just throw generic code onto a page. Show real, working examples that people can copy and paste into their projects.
Visual references: Screenshots or short clips demonstrating the component in action like how a dropdown behaves on hover or click help folks see exactly what “correct” looks like.
Usage guidelines: Outline where and how each component should be used. If your card component is meant for display in a grid, say so, and clarify whether it’s okay to cram five images in there.
Consistency is key
When a design system lacks clear, reusable components, you inevitably end up with six different versions of the same button—one with squared corners, one with rounded corners, one with a drop shadow for no apparent reason, and so on. By standardising these building blocks, teams can focus on real innovations instead of rehashing the same design debates.
Once your design principles are locked in, it’s time to get your hands dirty building the actual pieces. Consider this stage like assembling a LEGO set, you start with the small bricks before moving on to that epic Death Star model. Begin with the fundamentals: buttons, toggles, form fields, and any simple piece that repeats throughout your interface. If you try to tackle dashboards or page layouts right off the bat, you’ll likely drown in unnecessary complexity.
Basic elements: Buttons, icons, input fields—these show up everywhere, so nailing them early saves everyone from guesswork.
Intermediate elements: Modals, dropdowns, cards—slightly more complex but still standard across many products.
Complex modules: Navigation bars, page layouts, dashboards, multi-step forms—once you’ve tested the waters with simpler components, these bigger modules will fit together more seamlessly.
Document everything
Think of thorough documentation as the user manual for your design system. Include code snippets for developers, visual mocks or usage scenarios for designers, and a quick do’s-and-don’ts list for everyone else. No one wants to piece together a “primary button” from memory alone especially if there are subtle variations for different use cases.
Code snippets: Don’t just throw generic code onto a page. Show real, working examples that people can copy and paste into their projects.
Visual references: Screenshots or short clips demonstrating the component in action like how a dropdown behaves on hover or click help folks see exactly what “correct” looks like.
Usage guidelines: Outline where and how each component should be used. If your card component is meant for display in a grid, say so, and clarify whether it’s okay to cram five images in there.
Consistency is key
When a design system lacks clear, reusable components, you inevitably end up with six different versions of the same button—one with squared corners, one with rounded corners, one with a drop shadow for no apparent reason, and so on. By standardising these building blocks, teams can focus on real innovations instead of rehashing the same design debates.
6. Create detailed documentation
When it comes to a design system, “just winging it” isn’t exactly a winning strategy. If your docs are sparse or nonexistent, expect a lot of Slack messages like “Where do I find that card layout again?” and “Are we still using that old hover effect?” Instead, think of your documentation as a living, breathing guidebook that spares your team a hundred small headaches each day.
Guidelines and usage examples: Lay down the law on which elements to use and when. Should a designer go for a modal or a simple inline alert? Spell it out. Use live demos or image mock-ups to illustrate best practices, so folks can see real scenarios rather than just reading abstract rules. It’s one thing to say “use a hover state here” and another to show exactly how it should look and behave.
Code snippets: A big chunk of your design system’s audience is developers who need quick, accurate examples. Offer well-commented snippets—maybe in a tool like Storybook—so they can copy, paste, and tweak without guesswork. Bonus points for showcasing different states (default, hover, disabled) in one neat package.
Version control: Your design system won’t stand still, so track changes. Even something as simple as “Button v2—added new hover style” can help a colleague figure out why their button suddenly looks different today than it did yesterday. A proper version history also makes it easier to roll back changes if something goes haywire.
Like any reference material, documentation needs regular checkups. If you let it gather digital dust, you’ll be back to square one with confused team members. Schedule quick reviews, quarterly or in sync with your product releases to update screenshots, code examples, and usage notes. That way, new hires can onboard themselves without a million questions, and seasoned pros won’t be forced to rely on memory alone.
When it comes to a design system, “just winging it” isn’t exactly a winning strategy. If your docs are sparse or nonexistent, expect a lot of Slack messages like “Where do I find that card layout again?” and “Are we still using that old hover effect?” Instead, think of your documentation as a living, breathing guidebook that spares your team a hundred small headaches each day.
Guidelines and usage examples: Lay down the law on which elements to use and when. Should a designer go for a modal or a simple inline alert? Spell it out. Use live demos or image mock-ups to illustrate best practices, so folks can see real scenarios rather than just reading abstract rules. It’s one thing to say “use a hover state here” and another to show exactly how it should look and behave.
Code snippets: A big chunk of your design system’s audience is developers who need quick, accurate examples. Offer well-commented snippets—maybe in a tool like Storybook—so they can copy, paste, and tweak without guesswork. Bonus points for showcasing different states (default, hover, disabled) in one neat package.
Version control: Your design system won’t stand still, so track changes. Even something as simple as “Button v2—added new hover style” can help a colleague figure out why their button suddenly looks different today than it did yesterday. A proper version history also makes it easier to roll back changes if something goes haywire.
Like any reference material, documentation needs regular checkups. If you let it gather digital dust, you’ll be back to square one with confused team members. Schedule quick reviews, quarterly or in sync with your product releases to update screenshots, code examples, and usage notes. That way, new hires can onboard themselves without a million questions, and seasoned pros won’t be forced to rely on memory alone.
7. Build and teach your design system team
Collaboration is the lifeblood of any design system. After all, you can’t just lock one designer in a room and expect them to birth a fully formed, universally accepted set of guidelines. Gather a small but mighty group by mixing developers, designers, and product managers who can collectively maintain and evolve the system. Each member should not only understand the brand’s core philosophy but also have the authority to make decisions that stick.
Onboarding and skill gaps: Don’t leave anyone stuck guessing how to contribute. If your junior designer is clueless about advanced prototyping tools, offer training sessions or pair them with a seasoned pro for a crash course. The same goes for developers who might need a refresher on front-end frameworks. By investing in skill-building, you ensure nobody’s left behind—which means fewer bottlenecks and more meaningful input from every angle.
Resources and shared ownership: Point your team to online resources like tutorials, case studies, and blog posts that expand their horizons on design system best practices. Encourage them to share interesting finds in a dedicated Slack channel or during weekly stand-ups. Make it clear that everyone has a voice in shaping the design system.
Leadership backing: A well-intentioned design system can still die on the vine without leadership support. Having a sponsor—someone high enough in the org chart to greenlight budgets, allocate developer time, or champion the project—can be a game-changer. They’re the ones who ensure your system isn’t just “nice to have” but a recognized pillar of the product development process.
Collaboration is the lifeblood of any design system. After all, you can’t just lock one designer in a room and expect them to birth a fully formed, universally accepted set of guidelines. Gather a small but mighty group by mixing developers, designers, and product managers who can collectively maintain and evolve the system. Each member should not only understand the brand’s core philosophy but also have the authority to make decisions that stick.
Onboarding and skill gaps: Don’t leave anyone stuck guessing how to contribute. If your junior designer is clueless about advanced prototyping tools, offer training sessions or pair them with a seasoned pro for a crash course. The same goes for developers who might need a refresher on front-end frameworks. By investing in skill-building, you ensure nobody’s left behind—which means fewer bottlenecks and more meaningful input from every angle.
Resources and shared ownership: Point your team to online resources like tutorials, case studies, and blog posts that expand their horizons on design system best practices. Encourage them to share interesting finds in a dedicated Slack channel or during weekly stand-ups. Make it clear that everyone has a voice in shaping the design system.
Leadership backing: A well-intentioned design system can still die on the vine without leadership support. Having a sponsor—someone high enough in the org chart to greenlight budgets, allocate developer time, or champion the project—can be a game-changer. They’re the ones who ensure your system isn’t just “nice to have” but a recognized pillar of the product development process.
8. Implement your design system
So you’ve got your shiny new components, guidelines, and principles all set—now it’s time to put them to work. Think of this step as the ultimate proof test: Will teams actually use the design system in their day-to-day? If the answer’s yes, you’ll see smoother workflows and fewer repeated design debates. If not, you might just end up with a fancy PDF nobody reads.
Start early: Encourage product teams to incorporate the design system from the very beginning. Whether it’s a new feature or a complete overhaul, letting the system guide early sketches ensures consistency and saves hours of retrofitting. It’s like building a house with a solid foundation instead of trying to reinforce it once the walls are already up.
Gather feedback and refine: Don’t treat your design system as a sacred text that’s immune to criticism. If someone finds a gap, maybe a missing component or an inconsistency in colours, document it. Refine the system accordingly. By keeping communication channels open, you avoid blindly sticking to outdated or flawed guidelines, which can frustrate teams and undermine trust in the whole thing.
Run workshops: Even the best documentation can only do so much. Sometimes people learn faster by rolling up their sleeves. Host short drop-in sessions or scheduled workshops where designers and developers can experiment with the system’s components in a safe, exploratory environment. It’s the perfect place to ask questions, share pro tips, and spark new ideas.
Onboarding with the system: Finally, make sure new hires get familiar with the design system from day one. Walk them through the fundamentals, point them to the docs, and maybe even pair them with a design system “buddy” for extra support. The sooner they embrace the system, the more naturally it’ll slot into their daily tasks—and the less likely they are to reinvent the wheel.
So you’ve got your shiny new components, guidelines, and principles all set—now it’s time to put them to work. Think of this step as the ultimate proof test: Will teams actually use the design system in their day-to-day? If the answer’s yes, you’ll see smoother workflows and fewer repeated design debates. If not, you might just end up with a fancy PDF nobody reads.
Start early: Encourage product teams to incorporate the design system from the very beginning. Whether it’s a new feature or a complete overhaul, letting the system guide early sketches ensures consistency and saves hours of retrofitting. It’s like building a house with a solid foundation instead of trying to reinforce it once the walls are already up.
Gather feedback and refine: Don’t treat your design system as a sacred text that’s immune to criticism. If someone finds a gap, maybe a missing component or an inconsistency in colours, document it. Refine the system accordingly. By keeping communication channels open, you avoid blindly sticking to outdated or flawed guidelines, which can frustrate teams and undermine trust in the whole thing.
Run workshops: Even the best documentation can only do so much. Sometimes people learn faster by rolling up their sleeves. Host short drop-in sessions or scheduled workshops where designers and developers can experiment with the system’s components in a safe, exploratory environment. It’s the perfect place to ask questions, share pro tips, and spark new ideas.
Onboarding with the system: Finally, make sure new hires get familiar with the design system from day one. Walk them through the fundamentals, point them to the docs, and maybe even pair them with a design system “buddy” for extra support. The sooner they embrace the system, the more naturally it’ll slot into their daily tasks—and the less likely they are to reinvent the wheel.
9. Monitor design system adoption
You’ve spent all that time building and rolling out a design system—now it’s time to see if anyone’s actually using it. Numbers don’t lie, so start by keeping tabs on a few key metrics:
Component usage: Look at how often teams incorporate those fancy card layouts or fresh toggles you introduced. If you notice that only two people used the “primary button” last quarter, your next move might be to figure out if the rest of the team has no clue it exists or if they’re all allergic to that particular shade of blue.
Documentation views: Do people visit your design system docs regularly or are they about as busy as a tumbleweed on a ghost town road? Analytics can tell you how frequently the documentation gets opened, scrolled through, and clicked on. If the numbers are dismal, maybe it’s time for a refresher workshop or a friendly reminder that “Yes, we do have a style guide.”
Time to production: One major selling point of a design system is a faster turnaround. So check if your project timelines have been shrinking since its launch. Are features rolling out quicker, or is the process still dragging? If your release cycle hasn’t budged, it might be worth investigating whether the system’s missing a critical component or the documentation is just too dense.
You’ve spent all that time building and rolling out a design system—now it’s time to see if anyone’s actually using it. Numbers don’t lie, so start by keeping tabs on a few key metrics:
Component usage: Look at how often teams incorporate those fancy card layouts or fresh toggles you introduced. If you notice that only two people used the “primary button” last quarter, your next move might be to figure out if the rest of the team has no clue it exists or if they’re all allergic to that particular shade of blue.
Documentation views: Do people visit your design system docs regularly or are they about as busy as a tumbleweed on a ghost town road? Analytics can tell you how frequently the documentation gets opened, scrolled through, and clicked on. If the numbers are dismal, maybe it’s time for a refresher workshop or a friendly reminder that “Yes, we do have a style guide.”
Time to production: One major selling point of a design system is a faster turnaround. So check if your project timelines have been shrinking since its launch. Are features rolling out quicker, or is the process still dragging? If your release cycle hasn’t budged, it might be worth investigating whether the system’s missing a critical component or the documentation is just too dense.
10. Maintain and improve your design system
A design system isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of deal—consider it more like a living, breathing product that evolves alongside your company. If you don’t give it regular checkups, don’t be shocked when half the components gather dust and everyone goes rogue with their own custom hacks.
Schedule regular reviews: Aim for quarterly check-ins or align with major product releases. This keeps you from scrambling once you notice a bunch of outdated buttons lurking in the wild. Use these reviews to validate whether certain elements are still relevant or if something has gone stale. Maybe that “trendy” gradient you added a year ago no longer aligns with your brand’s new sleek vibe.
Gather feedback everywhere: Don’t rely on your team to spontaneously volunteer insights. Provide easy channels—Slack, Confluence pages, monthly stand-ups—for them to flag inconsistencies or request new components. If someone finds that a dropdown is confusing users, they should have a straightforward way to bring it up. The more feedback you get, the better you can keep the system useful and up to date.
Define a governance model: Decide early on who has the authority to tweak or add new elements. Do they need a sign-off from a design lead, or can developers propose changes independently? Having a clear path to approval keeps everyone from slipping in “minor fixes” that could accidentally break consistency. Plus, it prevents endless debates: if your brand lead says “No,” the discussion ends there—no more Slack wars.
Track changes with version control: Version control isn’t just for code junkies. It’s an easy way to log every tweak in your design system, which becomes invaluable when someone asks, “Why did the background colour switch to pastel orange?” Rolling back to a previous version also saves the day if a “genius idea” turns into a usability nightmare.
Communicate updates: A simple note in the #design-system Slack channel or a quick “show-and-tell” session can do wonders for keeping everyone in the loop. When you announce “We’re retiring the old modal window,” or “Here’s Button v3 with fresh animation,” teams know exactly what changed and why. This transparency reduces confusion and hopefully, the eye-rolls when something shifts with zero explanation.
A design system isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of deal—consider it more like a living, breathing product that evolves alongside your company. If you don’t give it regular checkups, don’t be shocked when half the components gather dust and everyone goes rogue with their own custom hacks.
Schedule regular reviews: Aim for quarterly check-ins or align with major product releases. This keeps you from scrambling once you notice a bunch of outdated buttons lurking in the wild. Use these reviews to validate whether certain elements are still relevant or if something has gone stale. Maybe that “trendy” gradient you added a year ago no longer aligns with your brand’s new sleek vibe.
Gather feedback everywhere: Don’t rely on your team to spontaneously volunteer insights. Provide easy channels—Slack, Confluence pages, monthly stand-ups—for them to flag inconsistencies or request new components. If someone finds that a dropdown is confusing users, they should have a straightforward way to bring it up. The more feedback you get, the better you can keep the system useful and up to date.
Define a governance model: Decide early on who has the authority to tweak or add new elements. Do they need a sign-off from a design lead, or can developers propose changes independently? Having a clear path to approval keeps everyone from slipping in “minor fixes” that could accidentally break consistency. Plus, it prevents endless debates: if your brand lead says “No,” the discussion ends there—no more Slack wars.
Track changes with version control: Version control isn’t just for code junkies. It’s an easy way to log every tweak in your design system, which becomes invaluable when someone asks, “Why did the background colour switch to pastel orange?” Rolling back to a previous version also saves the day if a “genius idea” turns into a usability nightmare.
Communicate updates: A simple note in the #design-system Slack channel or a quick “show-and-tell” session can do wonders for keeping everyone in the loop. When you announce “We’re retiring the old modal window,” or “Here’s Button v3 with fresh animation,” teams know exactly what changed and why. This transparency reduces confusion and hopefully, the eye-rolls when something shifts with zero explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should be involved in creating a design system?
It typically includes a mix of designers, developers, product managers, and sometimes marketing folks. You want a well-rounded group that understands both the brand’s vision and the technical constraints. Also, having a leadership sponsor ensures the system gets the resources and recognition it needs to be successful.
When should a team start building a design system?
There’s no hard-and-fast rule, but if your product suite is growing and you find yourself reinventing the same elements or chasing design inconsistencies, it’s probably time. Waiting too long can lead to a mountain of tech and design debt. Starting early, on the other hand, sets a foundation that can scale with your products.
What’s the best way to document a design system?
Aim for clarity and accessibility. Tools like Figma, Storybook, or Frontify can host component libraries and guidelines in one place. Include usage examples, code snippets, and do’s-and-don’ts to guide both designers and developers. Keeping documentation up to date is crucial—otherwise, people may ignore it.
Final Thoughts
Design systems might still be fairly new on the digital scene, but their influence is unmistakable. If carefully implemented—with solid documentation, strong leadership, and regular upkeep—they can turn scattered design practices into a powerful, unified approach. On the other hand, neglect or half-hearted support can leave you with a messy tangle of components that don’t genuinely help anyone.
Take the time to plan well, invite feedback, and keep iterating. That’s how you create a design system that not only makes your team’s life easier but also brings real consistency to every user interaction. And that’s how brand storytelling can become a springboard for wide-ranging growth (including in the design world).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should be involved in creating a design system?
It typically includes a mix of designers, developers, product managers, and sometimes marketing folks. You want a well-rounded group that understands both the brand’s vision and the technical constraints. Also, having a leadership sponsor ensures the system gets the resources and recognition it needs to be successful.
When should a team start building a design system?
There’s no hard-and-fast rule, but if your product suite is growing and you find yourself reinventing the same elements or chasing design inconsistencies, it’s probably time. Waiting too long can lead to a mountain of tech and design debt. Starting early, on the other hand, sets a foundation that can scale with your products.
What’s the best way to document a design system?
Aim for clarity and accessibility. Tools like Figma, Storybook, or Frontify can host component libraries and guidelines in one place. Include usage examples, code snippets, and do’s-and-don’ts to guide both designers and developers. Keeping documentation up to date is crucial—otherwise, people may ignore it.
Final Thoughts
Design systems might still be fairly new on the digital scene, but their influence is unmistakable. If carefully implemented—with solid documentation, strong leadership, and regular upkeep—they can turn scattered design practices into a powerful, unified approach. On the other hand, neglect or half-hearted support can leave you with a messy tangle of components that don’t genuinely help anyone.
Take the time to plan well, invite feedback, and keep iterating. That’s how you create a design system that not only makes your team’s life easier but also brings real consistency to every user interaction. And that’s how brand storytelling can become a springboard for wide-ranging growth (including in the design world).
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Work with us
Click to copy
work@for.co
- FOR® Brand. FOR® Future.
We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
Click to copy
Helsinki, FIN
info@for.fi
Click to copy
New York, NY
ny@for.co
Click to copy
Miami, FL
mia@for.co
Click to copy
Dubai, UAE
uae@for.co
Click to copy
Kyiv, UA
kyiv@for.co
Click to copy
Lagos, NG
lagos@for.ng
Copyright © 2024 FOR®
Work with us
Click to copy
work@for.co
We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
Click to copy
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Click to copy
New York, NY
ny@for.co
Click to copy
Miami, FL
mia@for.co
Click to copy
Dubai, UAE
uae@for.co
Click to copy
Kyiv, UA
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Click to copy
Lagos, NG
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Copyright © 2024 FOR®