Design System

Master design systems for consistency, scalability, reusable components, accessibility, and effective collaboration

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Course Overview

This chapter introduces students to the concept of design systems, highlighting their significance, benefits, guiding principles, structure, and strategies for scalability and governance to ensure consistency and efficiency across products.

Lesson 1: Understanding Design Systems

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Defining design systems and their core components
  • Exploring the purpose and advantages of using design systems
  • Case studies on how design systems drive consistency
  • Real-world examples of popular design systems

Lesson 2: Why Design Systems Are Essential

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Identifying common challenges in design and development
  • How design systems solve consistency and efficiency issues
  • Benefits of using design systems for team collaboration
  • Real-world scenarios showcasing the need for design systems

Lesson 3: Key Benefits of Design Systems

Time commitment: 15 mins

  • Detailed analysis of benefits like efficiency and scalability
  • How design systems streamline workflow and reduce redundancy
  • Measuring the impact of design systems on project outcomes
  • Examples of successful implementation of design systems

Lesson 4: Creating Design Principles

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Defining and documenting core design principles
  • Aligning design principles with brand and business goals
  • Examples of design principles from established brands
  • Practical exercise on crafting design principles for a project

Lesson 5: Structure of a Design System

Time commitment: 25 mins

  • Understanding the key components of a design system
  • Exploring design tokens, components, patterns, guidelines, and documentation
  • Learning how to organize design systems hierarchically
  • Practical tips for maintaining consistency and flexibility in a design system
  • Exercises to apply design system structures effectively

Lesson 6: Design Tokens and Theming

Time commitment: 25 mins

  • Understanding design tokens and their role in theming
  • Creating tokens for colors, typography, and spacing
  • Applying design tokens to build themes
  • Managing design tokens for brand consistency

Lesson 7: Creating Reusable Components and Advanced Layouts

Time commitment: 55 mins

  • Creating and standardizing reusable UI components, such as buttons, input fields, and modals
  • Implementing component states, variations, and best practices for reusability
  • Building advanced design patterns, including grids, card layouts, and content modules
  • Applying adaptable patterns for various contexts and project requirements
  • Practical exercises to integrate components and patterns into workflows

Lesson 8: Establishing a Shared Language

Time commitment: 15 mins

  • Establishing a shared language for design and development
  • Documenting design tokens and shared terminology
  • Creating a design dictionary for consistent communication
  • Real-world examples of unified language in design systems

Lesson 9: Creating Accessibility Standards

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Defining accessibility standards for design systems
  • Creating accessible components and patterns
  • Testing designs for accessibility compliance
  • Documenting accessibility standards in design systems

Lesson 10: Planning for Scalability

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Planning for scalability in design systems
  • Building components and patterns for long-term adaptability
  • Real-world scenarios of scaling design systems
  • Tips for ensuring design system sustainability

Lesson 11: Version Control for Design Systems

Time commitment: 15 mins

  • Implementing version control for design systems
  • Managing design system updates and releases
  • Documenting changes and communicating updates
  • Best practices for maintaining version consistency

Lesson 12: Measuring Design System Success

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Defining success metrics for design systems
  • Gathering feedback from design and development teams
  • Analyzing performance and usage data
  • Iterating on the design system based on insights

Lesson 13: Design System Maintenance and Governance

Time commitment: 15 mins

  • Setting up governance policies for design systems
  • Documenting design guidelines and best practices
  • Managing contributions and updates to the design system
  • Real-world examples of effective governance in design systems

Lesson 14: Advanced Design System Integrations

Time commitment: 30 mins

  • Integrating design systems with Figma, Storybook, and GitHub
  • Setting up automated design-to-development workflows
  • Managing design assets and component libraries
  • Best practices for advanced design system integrations

Lesson 15: Adopting a Design System Mindset

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Exploring the principles of a design system mindset
  • Understanding how a design system mindset affects workflows
  • Encouraging a shift towards a systematic and scalable approach
  • Real-world examples of how a design system mindset enhances collaboration

Lesson 16: Overcoming Design System Challenges

Time commitment: 20 mins

  • Identifying common challenges in design system adoption
  • Strategies for overcoming resistance and achieving buy-in
  • Managing complexities in scaling and integrating systems
  • Real-world case studies on overcoming design system obstacles

What’s Next?

In the next chapter, you’ll dive into Figma, the ultimate tool for modern design collaboration. Learn how to navigate its interface, master essential tools, and create reusable components, prototypes, and scalable design systems. Gain practical skills to streamline your workflows and turn creative ideas into reality.