We explored the fundamentals of design systems in our previous post. In this how-to guide, we will walk you through the steps to create and implement a design system effectively.

From my experience of creating a design system for a large-scale web application for a Fortune 500 (actually a Fortune 100 😉) company, I have learned that a well-structured design system can significantly enhance the consistency and efficiency of the development process.

Steps to Create a Design System

Step 1: Audit Existing Designs

Begin by reviewing your current products to identify inconsistencies in design and areas that need improvement. This will help you understand the scope of your design system.

In my case, what we had as a reference was a legacy application that had grown organically over several years. This meant that there were numerous design inconsistencies and a lack of standardized components. Also this was developed with Oracle Forms which made it even more challenging to modernize the UI.

Step 2: Define Design Principles

Establish core principles that will guide your design decisions. These principles should reflect your brand values and user needs.

For our design system, we focused on principles such as simplicity, accessibility, and responsiveness. These principles helped us make consistent design choices throughout the system. Apart from that we also had to consider the technical constraints of Oracle Forms which limited some of our design choices.

Step 3: Create UI Components

Develop a library of reusable components that adhere to the defined design principles. Ensure that these components are flexible and can be easily integrated into different parts of your application.

We created a comprehensive set of UI components, including buttons, forms, and navigation elements. Each component was designed to be modular and customizable, allowing developers to adapt them to various use cases.

Step 4: Develop a Style Guide

Document visual elements and guidelines to ensure consistency. This should include typography, color schemes, spacing, and other design elements.

Our style guide served as a reference for designers and developers, ensuring that everyone was on the same page regarding visual standards. We included detailed specifications for colors, fonts, and layout guidelines.

Step 5: Build a Pattern Library

Identify common design challenges and create reusable patterns to address them. This will help streamline the design process and ensure consistency across different parts of your application.

We developed a pattern library that included solutions for common UI challenges, such as form validation, error handling, and responsive layouts. This library became an invaluable resource for our design and development teams.

Step 6: Document Everything

Provide comprehensive documentation to support the use and maintenance of the design system. This should include best practices, implementation guidelines, and examples.

We used tools like Storybook to document our components and patterns. This allowed developers to easily explore and understand how to use the design system effectively. Additionally we documented the decision-making process behind certain design choices to provide context.

Step 7: Promote Adoption

Encourage teams to use the design system through training and advocacy. This will help ensure that the design system is consistently applied across all projects.

In the new screen development process, we organized workshops and training sessions to familiarize our teams with the design system. We also appointed design system champions within each team to advocate for its use and provide support.

By following these steps, we successfully created and implemented a design system that significantly improved the consistency and efficiency of our web application development process. The result was a cohesive user interface that enhanced the overall user experience.

In the next post, we will explore some advanced techniques for maintaining and evolving your design system over time.

Happy designing! 🎨

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