Why build an Enterprise Design System?
"Software is often built by incredibly large teams of people. The challenge to create coherent experiences multiplies exponentially as more people are added to the mix. Over time, no matter how consistent or small a team is, different people will contribute new solutions and styles, causing experiences to diverge."
Building a Visual Language, Karri Saarinen, Principal Designer and creator of Airbnb Design System
To combat this, a UX/UI workflow should also be implemented to retain consistency over the design & wire framing processes for both current and new designers. This should encompass everything from which software is to be used at what stage to where files are stored and accessed so that projects can be picked up by any team member seamlessly.
Challenges facing Design Teams
Inconsistencies across products and platforms UX inconsistencies reduces the user’s efficiency, which devalues the product. Especially common in enterprise products that span different technology stacks, devices, and user groups, product inconsistency is nearly impossible to resolve until the company’s workflows are first addressed.
Lack of centralised assets leads to version control issues Because different design teams use different tools that don’t always integrate, nobody can truly guarantee that the right assets are all being used in projects at any given time.
Widening knowledge gaps between product teams Without a “golden source” of assets and best practices, different teams work off different guidelines and assumptions. Over time, product inconsistency is inevitable.
Inefficient processes lead to repetitive or wasted work Without a common toolkit for design and development, one-off solutions and repetitive work drain a team’s efficiency.
Design systems: an example
IKEA BESTÅ is a design system. Every component, be it a wardrobe, chest of drawers or table has been designed to work and be combined seamlessly with the others. As a customer, you work out what you need to build your system and you don't need to worry if they will fit together when you get home. (Think of someone buying IKEA furniture as the 'designer'.)
In similar fashion, the saving for the customer is reciprocated back in the business. The time and effort that IKEA spent initially in developing the BESTÅ system and tooling the factory for production, means that component parts can be churned out at vast scale and quantity and they are guaranteed to work together harmoniously. (Think of this is the 'development' stage of a digital product build.)
What is a digital Design System?
“A design system can create value on at least two levels. At the team level, it can create a more streamlined, predictable process that reduces design and engineering time. At the UX level it helps deliver consistency and predictability in the interface, and to raise the quality of the experience overall when designers and engineers are freed up to think about higher-order tasks.”
Selling Design Systems At Your Company, Nick Stamas, Creative Lead at WeWork
A design system is more than just a style guide or pattern library – it’s the blueprint for product development. All the design principles, visual assets, and patterns are thoroughly documented. And ideally, code references for HTML & CSS are included for each piece of design.
Using a well-designed Design System you will benefit from:
Increased velocity and time to market A component-based toolkit accessible in one place allows for a more chunked-out Agile process, speeding up releases without compromising quality.
Increased product value Reusable components build upon each other, which creates a consistent look, feel, and behavior to the product. As consistency increases, so too does user efficiency.
Increased collaboration and knowledge sharing Because the shared design system includes approved assets and conventions, designers and developers are more autonomous without closing off into silos.
Less time and money wasted Because designers and developers aren’t caught up in redundant questions or repetitive work, they’re freed up for tasks that deliver more business value.