What's included

• Research and Strategy

  Define Goals: Understand why you need a design system. Is it to improve consistency, scalability, or collaboration? Audit Existing Design Assets: Review your current designs, components, and codebase. Identify inconsistencies and patterns. Collaborate with Teams: Involve designers, developers, and stakeholders early to align on expectations and needs.

• Create the Foundations

  Establish Core Principles: Define the design principles guiding your system, like accessibility, scalability, or simplicity. Build a Style Guide: Include typography, colors, spacing, grids, and iconography to form the visual language. Define Tokens: Use design tokens (e.g., spacing, color values) to ensure consistency and make changes scalable.

• Design and Develop Components

  Start Small: Use the atomic design methodology (atoms, molecules, organisms) to build reusable components, starting with the smallest units. Ensure Accessibility: Test components for usability and accessibility to meet standards like WCAG. Document Usage: Clearly explain how each component should be used, with examples and dos/don’ts.

• Build a System Repository

  Centralize Assets: Use tools like Figma for design assets and Storybook or similar platforms for code components. Integrate with Development: Create a shared library that developers can access easily, ensuring alignment between design and code. Version Control: Use versioning to track changes and updates to the design system.

• Launch, Maintain, and Iterate

  Launch with Communication: Share the design system with your team and stakeholders, explaining its purpose and benefits. Encourage Adoption: Provide training sessions or workshops to help teams integrate the system into their workflows. Iterate Regularly: Gather feedback, monitor usage, and update the system as product needs evolve or new technologies emerge.