Design method

Design

SYSTem

Creating a design system is one of the best strategies when designing a product nowadays.

Benefits include improving communication between design and development teams, maintaining consistency across all products and platforms, saving time and resources and helping to build a strong brand identity.

Step 1

Research

  • Analyse the existing product (if there is an existing product)

  • Understand expectations of what our system should offer

  • Build a shared vision for it

  • Identify stakeholders’ and users’ needs and goals

  • Create design principles

Step 2

Design

After defining the design principles, my next step is to design the tokens and create the style guide.

Once this is done, I continue with the construction of the pattern library. I start with the simplest component to continue with the more complex one. In this way, I make sure that the concept is robust and flexible. Then, I define the possible behaviors along with the layouts.

Finally, I end up creating the design process guidelines so that there are no doubts when it comes to its interpretation.

When designing a design system, it is important to find an optimal balance between reducing components and improving functionality.

Step 3

Build

Apart from having all of the documentation ready, it is essential to keep the teams in constant communication. In some cases, some components may be so complex that it becomes easier to build different components for different variations. It is up to our developers and UX designer to decide when it is appropriate to split a component.

As a result, it is critical to conduct rigorous testing prior to each release to ensure that every component functions properly.

Another crucial element is to establish and adhere to a naming policy.

Step 4

Maintain

It is essential to delegate responsibility for keeping the system up to date.

One of the reasons is the possibility that the system will not adapt to all possible future scenarios. In these cases, some components may need to be modified or new elements may need to be added. It is important to comprehend the needs of
the system’s users.

When updating components, we have to be awear of the context and potential cases in which they may appear. A minimum spacing increase can cause a page to fall apart.

Design

approach

Whether or not a design system is created, I believe it is critical to follow a set of steps when addressing project design.

Step 1

Groundwork

It is necessary to first become acquainted with the product, followed by spending quality time getting to know the user, his true needs, motivations, context, and goals. The objetives of the other stakeholders must not be overlooked.

Step 2

Definition

After defining the problems to be solved and identifying hot spots or areas for improvement, I create a plan and discuss a work schedule with all the teams to agree on a schedule.

Step 3

Creation

In order to try to find a simple and original solution, I try to abstract myself from the constraints and sketch by hand different possibilities.

Step 4

Test

Making a prototype after having a potential design solution allows me to explore how it might function in a real context. It is crucial to conduct user testing in order to learn more and enhance the solution.

Step 5

Iteration

An improved outcome can be achieved by refining the suggested solution using the data from user tests that have been analyzed.