Module 11: Design Systems

Design systems are comprehensive sets of guidelines, principles, and reusable components that define the visual and functional aspects of a product or brand. They provide a unified approach to design and help ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability across different platforms, devices, and teams. Design

Table of Contents

  1. Outcomes
  2. Concepts and Resources
  3. What’s Next
  4. Glossary

Outcomes

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

  • Analyze design systems and their impact on software development, including how they can improve efficiency and consistency in the design process.

Concepts and Resources

Design systems typically include the following elements:

  1. Style guide: A style guide outlines the visual language of the design system, including color palettes, typography, iconography, spacing, and layout principles. It establishes the overall look and feel of the product or brand.

  2. Component library: A component library consists of pre-designed, reusable UI elements such as buttons, forms, cards, navigation menus, and other interface components. These components are built with consistent styling, behavior, and interaction patterns, making it easier for designers and developers to create consistent user interfaces.

  3. Design patterns: Design systems often include a collection of design patterns or best practices that address common interaction and usability challenges. These patterns provide guidance on how to handle scenarios like onboarding flows, error handling, data visualization, and more.

  4. Documentation: Comprehensive documentation accompanies design systems to explain the principles, guidelines, and usage instructions for designers, developers, and other stakeholders. It serves as a reference for understanding and implementing the design system effectively.

  5. Accessibility guidelines: Design systems emphasize accessibility by providing guidelines and standards for creating inclusive user experiences. They define the requirements for color contrast, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and other accessibility considerations.

  6. Versioning and governance: Design systems are living entities that evolve over time. They often have versioning mechanisms in place to manage updates and track changes. Additionally, design systems may have governance processes and dedicated teams responsible for maintaining and evolving the system.

By adopting a design system, organizations can streamline the design and development process, reduce inconsistencies, foster collaboration, and improve the overall user experience. Design systems enable teams to work more efficiently and focus on solving user problems rather than reinventing the wheel with each new project.

What’s Next

A clever segue into the next module.

Glossary

Here we’ll create a list of the module’s key terms