Summary
Designers need to work with developers. One of the core ways they have learned to do this is by taking something from the designer’s playbook—pattern languages—and mapping that against one of the chief learnings from contemporary engineering: componentization. By using design systems and associated object based documentation systems, design leaders have helped to reshape the designer/developer universe and improve operations within the software development lifecycle. Facilitated by Dave Malouf.
Key Insights
-
•
Governance in design systems requires balancing control with openness to contributions to avoid staleness and gain broad buy-in.
-
•
Treating the design system as a product with dedicated roles like product managers and QA improves scalability and quality.
-
•
Co-creation workshops with designers across the org foster alignment and practical usability in design systems.
-
•
Usability directly translates to product value when design systems enable solutions focused on real user problems.
-
•
Accessibility and responsiveness are essential usability pillars embedded in both design and front-end collaboration.
-
•
Constraints from design systems focus creativity on meaningful problems rather than trivial design debates.
-
•
Simple, easy-to-use design systems for developers increase adoption and efficiency, indirectly benefiting designers.
-
•
Incremental iteration and quick MVPs build momentum, especially when time and resources for the design system are limited.
-
•
Documentation that frames components around their user purpose helps avoid abstract or irrelevant additions.
-
•
Automated tools like Shopify’s worry bot can enforce content and design standards without requiring reliance on users reading docs.
Notable Quotes
"We hadn’t really thought about governance up front at all, which is not the ideal way to do something like that."
"A design system that isn't dynamic and doesn't allow contributions from across the company is probably going to become stale quickly."
"Our mantra is tools, not rules. Make it easier for people to do their jobs and they’ll use the design system."
"Co-creation is the single best way to get people to really buy into the ideas and use the design system properly."
"We have do’s and don’ts, but approaching it from a rules-based perspective just reduces buy-in."
"Usability is kind of the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs of a product experience."
"For every single component, we start with its purpose and emergent need to ground design in user experience."
"Constraints are a key element to creativity; without them, design can become ungrounded and chaotic."
"Make a proof of concept before investing a lot more time and energy into a design system."
"Break your design system components and stress test them to see where they break so you can improve them."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Whenever someone makes a game accessible today, it’s considered an inspiring hack not a built-in feature."
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
March 11, 2022
"We’ve got Tim Gilligan, Meredith Blackbrand, and Bria Alexander on a panel about the future of design ops."
Alana WashingtonTheme 3 Intro
October 1, 2021
"When done well, convergence means research isn’t a department, it’s a shared system of knowledge or a collective understanding that aligns teams."
Sean McKayCoexisting with non-researchers: Practical strategies for a democratized research future
March 11, 2025
"Simply asking stakeholders what success looks like for them in a project is a powerful way to start meaningful conversations."
Lada Gorlenko Sharbani Dhar Sébastien Malo Rob Mitzel Ivana Ng Michal Anne RogondinoTheme 1: Discussion
January 8, 2024
"It’s our job to see the person in front of us, and if that means having an uncomfortable conversation, have that conversation."
Lin NieWhen Thought-worlds Collide: Collaborating Between Research and Practice
March 10, 2021
"We want to send fewer mailers but make them more impactful, using A/B testing to optimize open and click rates."
Kristin WisnewskiMeasuring What Matters
October 23, 2019
"Moving into law felt like starting over, but reframing it as a UX challenge made it manageable."
Chelsey GlassonExit Interview #3: Same as It Ever Was: What Leaving Tech Taught Me About Change
December 17, 2025
"We have this piece of glass and there’s a person on the other side, but we don’t understand their purpose."
Indi YoungPaying Better Attention to the Problem with Indi Young
December 12, 2019
"I put most of my retirement savings into making this happen because I didn’t think I was going to survive otherwise."
Mary-Lynne WilliamsExit Interview #4: From Product Design Leadership to Sound Healing
January 14, 2026
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What makes community-led health outcome contracts different from traditional models?
How do newer generations of law students view the incorporation of UX principles into legal education?
How can parallelizing activities like hiring and market discovery speed up time-to-market in new country launches?