According to designers across NYC, successful implementation requires patience, prioritization and, above all else, teamwork.
That’s why design systems are rarely created by just one person, according to Work & Co Design Director Guilherme Dienstmann. “Collaboration can help teams identify the main barriers to implementation early on and tackle them.”
Regarding roadblocks, Lead Product Designer Katy Ma said her team has encountered a few throughout the process of developing a design library, including a lack of dedicated ownership. In order to overcome this particular challenge, she and her peers at Valon participate in biweekly meetings with various departments to discuss issues and share ideas.
While identifying challenges is essential, it’s not the only thing designers can do to ensure effective implementation. According to Talkiatry Head of Design Adam Bunke, designers should understand that systems evolve and require continuous, calculated maintenance.
“Teams must plan how they will nurture their system by treating it like a distinct product that requires regular cross-functional attention, sprint point allocation, usability testing and maturity modeling,” Bunke said.
Built In NYC caught up with Dienstmann, Ma, Bunke and Shapeways Senior Design Lead Katharine Crisante to gather their insight on common development barriers, the role designers play in the process and the ingredients that go into the successful implementation of design systems.
Shapeways’ platform is designed to make 3D printing more accessible, enabling organizations to manage the production process from start to finish.
What are the main barriers to design system implementation?
Many organizations lack prioritization and support when it comes to design systems. Designing, implementing and maintaining a system requires time and resources, so it’s important for stakeholders to understand that and support teams’ efforts. Additionally, cross-functional support is needed to properly implement a design system. Although it’s referred to as a design system, it’s rarely a job designated solely to design teams. Multiple roles are needed to ensure a design system performs well and meets users’ needs, so it’s helpful to foster a sense of shared ownership among key departments, such as design, product management and engineering.
What role do designers play in implementation, and how do those duties fit into the wider collaborative effort?
Once the design team has created a system, we work alongside our product, QA and engineering teams to ensure specifics, such as typography, colors and component designs, are consistent and work correctly. Designers also take part in the QA process by noting any bugs that come up so the development team can address them. Design systems aren’t static, so designers need to continually create and update the system to reflect various factors, such as user feedback or changes in the underlying technology used in creating the components. Stakeholders should be informed about crucial information so that other areas of the business are aware of the system’s importance and the work being done to maintain it.
Successful design system implementation requires communication, prioritization and execution.”
What are the ingredients for successful implementation?
Successful design system implementation requires communication, prioritization and execution. It’s important to maintain internal communication regarding documentation that outlines how to use the system, support from management about its importance and purpose, and presenting consistent elements to users in the final product. Following implementation, it’s also important to stay up to date with customer feedback and engagement. If users are encountering issues, it’s important for team members to brainstorm potential solutions, which ensures the system evolves as the product area grows.
Valon’s technology guides homeowners through the mortgage process.
What are the main barriers to design system implementation?
We’re currently creating our design system as we build our product and processes, which has been a balancing act. We want to create structure to move faster, but we’re working in a rapidly changing environment filled with uncertainties. We need to balance structure and flexibility. It also takes more time to build products that are reusable and flexible, so we occasionally need to make tradeoffs that prioritize velocity rather than the design system. A lack of dedicated ownership can be challenging as well. No one on our team is dedicated to our design system. Instead, team members who are passionate about the project pitch in whenever possible. We’re doing a few things to work through this and take our design system to the next level. We have biweekly meetings, during which time designers, content strategists and engineers share updates, concerns and ideas. We also have a Slack channel for stakeholders to have ad hoc conversations. Besides that, we’re hiring front-end engineers who will be the primary development owners for our design system.
What role do designers play in implementation, and how do those duties fit into the wider collaborative effort?
Our designers are responsible for championing our users. We prioritize them when making design system decisions to ensure we’re meeting their needs. In order to do this, we run regular usability studies to evaluate our patterns and components and ensure they hold up over time. It’s also important to consistently critique each other’s work, which ensures we’re following guidelines and having necessary conversations when new patterns or intentional inconsistencies emerge. Designers often facilitate discussions between designers, engineers and product managers to keep everyone aligned on urgent concerns and how we’re tackling them.
A design system is a living ecosystem that evolves over time as we test, learn and iterate.”
What are the ingredients for successful implementation?
Team members need to understand the value of a design system and how to use it. There needs to be up-to-date, well-written documentation that includes decision-making principles. Employees need to be consistently informed about best practices and changes and should be encouraged to get support when they’re unsure about how to leverage the system. It’s essential to understand that things will change in the future. A design system is never fully completed. Rather, it’s a living ecosystem that evolves over time as we test, learn and iterate.
Work & Co designs and ships digital products for a wide range of organizations, specializing in chatbot, website and mobile app development.
What are the main barriers to design system implementation?
Collaboration is key for design systems. Our best work comes when designers, developers, project managers and clients work together from the beginning. Collaboration helps teams identify the main barriers to implementation and tackle them early on. Together, we can identify and address from the start which components will most benefit the product, what is more complex to build and what is the best way to document the work. Working together breaks down barriers.
What role do designers play in implementation, and how do those duties fit into the wider collaborative effort?
At Work & Co, our designers, developers, product managers and clients work as one single team, with one purpose. When it comes to design systems, we collaborate with clients at varying levels of maturity. We can build systems from start to finish. But we also know how to work with clients that have a well-established system, adhering to their rules while finding opportunities to improve and evolve the system. Designers’ roles vary depending on the project, but in general they go from understanding user needs and requirements to supporting development, inspiring teams to use systems and continuing to evolve them.
Collaboration is key for design systems.”
What are the ingredients for successful implementation?
A good design is one that is widely used and long-lasting. In our experience creating design systems for clients like IKEA, Airbnb, H&R Block and VistaPrint, we utilized a few key principles. First and foremost, we make cross-disciplinary collaboration happen. Second, reduction is key: We seek to use fewer typefaces, font sizes, colors and elements. Third, make sure the system is fast and efficient to build and maintain. Fourth, find the company’s DNA, or the elements that make the customer experience unique. Lastly, plan for the future: Ensure the team and code is ready to scale for the new technologies and needs that will arise. Treat the design system as a living organism that is continuously evolving. It’s never done.
Talkiatry’s platform is designed to connect people with psychiatric care, offering access to flexible treatment scheduling and medication management.
What are the main barriers to design system implementation?
An efficient design system is only possible with a partnership between product and engineering teams. Some barriers include competing priorities and adjusting or replacing the existing codebase. It’s crucial to have patience, as some design systems have to be rolled out in pieces.
What role do designers play in implementation, and how do those duties fit into the wider collaborative effort?
Designers advocate for the creation of credible, desirable, valuable and accessible experiences. They also play a role in driving efficiency and partnerships and ensure all parties are aligned on a system’s intent, purpose and outcomes. They serve as a bridge between design and engineering to implement the system. Designers work cross-functionally to ensure a design system evolves as users leverage it.
Partnership, patience and planning are necessary for successful implementation.”
What are the ingredients for successful implementation?
Partnership, patience and planning are necessary for successful implementation. Design systems cannot thrive if they’re not created through collaboration between product, engineering and design teams. Teams will need to be patient as the system begins to roll out, as it’s often released in waves rather than all at once. It’s important to refrain from focusing solely on user experiences and your product’s codebase.
