June 2, 2023

Nurturing a design system community…

I started this series off by confessing that I was a design system skeptic. One of the reasons I say that is because I’ve seen so many design system initiatives wither and die as companies pivot and change in response to market forces. Reorgs happen, teams are combined, entire platforms are relegated to legacy status.

If a platform can suffer such a fate, does that mean most design system efforts are destined to fail? No, I don’t think so.

Here are a few reasons why:

If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.

In my experience, one of the most important factors in determining whether a design system thrives or fails is the level of cross-team collaboration involved in its development.

How do you invite collaboration?

We’ve talked about some ways already. Talk to your users. Engaging them helps them feel heard, especially if out of that engagement comes the solution to a difficult problem for them. But it isn’t enough to just solve problems for people. You need to proactively invite contribution.

Make a big deal on your reference site about the value of contribution. Invite people to contribute, and make it clear how they can contribute and what kind of contributions you’re looking for.

Don’t be too restrictive in your contribution guidelines. I tend to adhere to the robustness principle:

“Be liberal in what you accept, but conservative in what you send.”

If the contribution is beneficial, I’d rather have someone contribute messy code than not at all. I may have to clean it up or adapt it to our DS standards, but I’ve met someone who cared enough to make the effort to participate in our design system work, I’ve probably learned something new, and I now have someone we can celebrate in our weekly newsletter. That person will likely be an advocate of the work your team is doing.

This can be an empowering initiative! They could create something that benefits other people at the organization. And if that work truly does have value, reward it accordingly: bonuses, time off, promotions, etc.

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There’s a diversification that comes from collaborating across a wide range of disciplines and products. Design systems aren’t just valuable for designers and engineers. Product managers, marketers, and other stakeholders benefit from a good design system. This wide value proposition can help design system teams survive shifts in team structure or product focus.

This collaborative approach also incentivizes a modular approach to building, which tends to be more resilient. Reusable components and patterns can be adapted and expanded to meet new needs as they arise, whether from a reorganization, a new product line, or a shift in business strategy. These smaller pieces can remain valuable assets in the longterm.

Finally, a well-documented design system can be the cornerstone of an effective onboarding process — which is like a cousin to collaboration. Teams change, new people are brought in, and they have a lot of questions about the organization. A design system can be the single source of truth, unifying perspectives, and speeding up the onboarding process.

All in all, in order for a design system to survive in the longterm, it needs someone to proactively manage it. Review regularly and update the system to ensure it remains relevant and valuable. Foster a culture of engagement with the system, encouraging feedback and contributions. And make sure the value of the system is visible to decision-makers, so you can remind them of that value and get their ongoing support and resources.

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Cheers,

Up Next: Measuring success…

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