Case Study

Figma Design System Development of a comprehensive design system in Figma to ensure consistency, scalability, and efficiency across all digital products.

Duration: 4 months

Objectives

1. Consistency: Ensure uniformity in design across all platforms and products.
2. Scalability: Create a system that can grow with the company’s expanding product lines.
3. Efficiency: Reduce design and development time by providing a library of reusable components.

Challenges

1. Existing Disparate Styles: The client had multiple products with inconsistent design elements. The design system creation solved this problem
2. Team Coordination: The design and development teams were using different tools and methods.
3. Component Overload: The need to manage a large number of components without overwhelming the design system.

Approach

1. Research & Analysis:

   • Conducted stakeholder interviews to understand pain points and requirements.
   • Analyzed existing products to identify common patterns and discrepancies.

2. Foundation Setup:

   • Defined core principles and guidelines (typography, color palettes, spacing, etc.).
   • Established a visual language that aligns with the client’s brand identity.

3. Component Library Creation:

   • Created a comprehensive set of reusable components (buttons, forms, modals, etc.).
   • Organized components into intuitive categories for easy access and scalability.
   • Applied design tokens and color variables to escalate the design system to different brand themes across the organization

4. Prototyping & Testing:

   • Developed prototypes to test the design system’s effectiveness.
   • Gathered feedback from designers and developers for iterative improvements.

5. Documentation:

   • Provided thorough documentation for each component, including usage guidelines, code snippets, and best practices.
   • Created tutorials and onboarding materials to facilitate adoption.

6. Implementation & Training:

   • Integrated the design system into Figma, ensuring seamless collaboration.
   • Conducted training sessions for the design and development teams.

Tools & Technologies

• Figma: Primary tool for creating and managing the design system.
• Zeroheight: Used for documenting the design system.
• Slack & Jira: Facilitated team communication and project management.

Outcome

1. Increased Consistency: The design system ensured uniformity across all products, reinforcing the brand identity.
2. Improved Efficiency: Design and development time was significantly reduced due to reusable components.
3. Enhanced Collaboration: Unified tools and processes improved coordination between designers and developers.
4. Scalability: The system was designed to easily incorporate new components and adapt to future needs.

Metrics of Success

• Design Consistency: 30% reduction in design inconsistencies reported.
• Time Savings: 40% reduction in design and development time for new features.
• Adoption Rate: 95% adoption rate among the design, content and development teams within the third month.
• Implementation:  the client was able to launch 5 websites within a period of 6 months

Future Steps

1. Continuous Improvement: Regularly update the design system based on user feedback and evolving brand needs.
2. Community Engagement: Foster a community within the organization to share insights and improvements.
3. Expand Usage: Explore extending the design system to external partners and clients.