Towards resilient design systems
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form(...) The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. Another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
I haven’t found a better parable or metaphor to illustrate the challenges of design systems. It talks about their scale but also their multifaceted character. It talks about their diverse stakeholders and their expectations. It also talks about how the courageous pioneers that introduce design systems in their organisations are often led by only a partial understanding of their output, what it takes to maintain them, and their impact. My role as a design system owner (DSO) is to point out the elephant in the room. And see to its care.
As a DSO I help organisations ask the right questions about their design system, explore possible answers and finally, unlike the blind men in the story, align to a common approach starting from its purpose, why it is needed, who it is for, its shape; who is going to work on it and how. Once alignment is reached, the design system team established and starts building, I will tag along the design system journey and support until my help is not needed anymore.
This is the best I can articulate my role at the moment. There is not much about design, development or documentation in there. Nothing about design tokens, or components. Even though production of system outputs is usually paired with my role as a DSO and I enjoy it, it can also be delegated.
Production is how I got into design systems. It is what I thought the elephant was. When I took charge of establishing the bpost design system that perception changed. And then it changed again, one year later, when they decided to stop investing in the design system.
Day to day, apart from working on components and tokens, I got to manage the backlog of the design system and lead a team of developers. I learned the basics of git and automation pipelines. I got to define solution architecture and roadmaps.
And then, out of the blue, everything stopped. The decision was not related with the quality of our system outputs or their adoption. Regardless, it did lead to some serious reflection and the realisation that the elephant in the room has some very complex challenges to deal with.
How can we make our design systems more resilient, and how can they continue fulfilling their purpose regardless of the external forces at play?
This is what I have so far:
- Don’t rush into building. Take the time to conceptualise and strategise. Make sure that your organisation or client knows exactly what they are committing to, how much is going to cost them and with what return.
- Let data drive you. Set metrics and quantifiable goals. Measure often. Design system benefits should not be up to debate. ROI should not be estimated by demand.
- Document and formalise. From the very first design system purpose and scope workshop to the very last component bug fix there should be a red line connecting all of your system decisions.
- Stick to basics. That’s technology related. Do as much as you can with good old HTML/CSS/JS before jumping into the framework flavour of the day.
- Design the transition. This refers to consultants mostly. Don’t stay in denial that you will be onboard forever. Don’t hold back on knowledge. Aim for legacy. Success is not measured by the amount you bill, but from the design system that is thriving without you.
If this subject tickles your curiosity and you wish to get into it in more detail, here are some podcasts recommendations:
These resources will provide both the strategic thinking and practical steps needed to deeply understand the challenges and solutions related to design systems at scale.
Podcasts:
1. Design Better Podcast by InVision
A great series of interviews with design leaders from across the industry. It delves into design systems, leadership, and creating lasting design culture in organisations, aligning with the article’s emphasis on strategy and alignment.
2. The Systematic Podcast by Knapsack
This podcast is fully dedicated to design systems, featuring discussions about the challenges of establishing, scaling, and maintaining them. It covers the technical and operational aspects of design systems with real-world examples.
3. ShopTalk Show (Episodes on Design Systems)
While this podcast covers various web design and development topics, certain episodes focus specifically on design systems, their maintenance, and the integration of technology with strategy, much like the article’s focus on aligning stakeholders with systems.
