Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
When asked, I’m sure many people would point to something visual about design systems. In reality, most of the work and so the effort that can make these projects succeed or fail is unseen – the people bit. For many organisations, design systems present a challenge in terms of structure, delivery, and how to define value. Designing these unseen structures and pipelines can enable the great work everyone always wanted to do – while being communicative and collaborative in ways we’ve not done before.
Key Insights
-
•
Design systems are more about relationships and culture than just UI components.
-
•
A successful design system requires clear problem definition and measurable impact.
-
•
People challenges, like communication and collaboration, often impede design system success more than technical issues.
-
•
Centralized, federated, and hybrid team models each have unique trade-offs in managing design systems.
-
•
Design systems should empower users by reducing repetitive work, enabling focus on higher-level problems.
-
•
Continuous feedback loops and community engagement are critical for evolving and maintaining design systems.
-
•
Governance, including documented decision records, helps preserve institutional knowledge and guide future changes.
-
•
Design system work shifts organizational culture by bridging disparate teams and breaking down silos.
-
•
Managing design debt is an intentional and ongoing part of design system maintenance and growth.
-
•
Humility and a servant-leadership mindset are essential for those stewarding the design system.
Notable Quotes
"It’s how you think about the relationships between people and these artifacts that makes a design system."
"Everyone seems to have a design system, but many don’t understand why they need one."
"Often you can tell people just don’t talk, and design systems need that interpersonal stuff to work."
"A centralized model for design systems can be problematic because it distances the team from end users."
"Design systems are not a straight jacket, they free you from repetitive work to focus on bigger problems."
"The value of a design system looks different depending on if you’re a developer, designer, or stakeholder."
"If you don’t continually check whether people are benefiting, the system’s reputation can quickly suffer."
"Design system decision records prevent knowledge being stuck in one person’s head."
"A design system is never a done thing, it’s a continuous evolution of best practices."
"Our job is to help others do great work, not to create perfect components for our own ego."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"A common toxic behavior is glory seeking, like presenting work as your own when it was a team effort."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Iterative engagement models mean we test, learn, and adapt rather than seeking a perfect solution from the start."
Aaron Stienstra Lashanda HodgeLeveraging Civic Design to Advance Equity and Rebuild Trust in the US Federal Government
December 8, 2021
"Assistive technology can feel like another person in the room during a research session, which you have to understand and include."
Kavana RameshMeaningful inclusion: Practicing accessibility research with confidence
September 24, 2024
"Elizabeth Churchill framed AI as a pedal assist system, helping us go further and faster but sometimes needing to dial it back."
Helen ArmstrongAugment the Human. Interrogate the System.
June 7, 2023
"The story of the Indian king and grains of rice perfectly illustrates exponential growth."
Scott PlewesWhy Isn't Your UX Approach Going Viral?: A Mathematical Model
March 28, 2023
"We have to design not just for humans but for other life forms on this planet."
Christian BasonExpand—Rethinking Design for Public Challenges
September 14, 2022
"Language is hard, and we use anthropomorphic words like reasoning and thinking to describe what the model does technically."
Peter Van DijckBuilding impactful AI products for design and product leaders, Part 3: Understand AI architectures: RAG, Agents, Oh My!
July 30, 2025
"Everything is designed, much of it poorly, so it’s incumbent on us to redesign capitalism and systems more inclusively."
Soma Ghosh Savina Hawkins Dave Hoffer Rob Thomas Victor UdoewaWhat emerging methods are advancing UX research [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
September 28, 2023
"You have to deliberately quiet that noise in your head and focus on humans in a world of humans."
Steve Portigal Susan Simon-Daniels Tamara Hale Randolph Duke IIWar Stories LIVE! Q&A-Discussion
March 30, 2020
