The Design System Playbook

Design systems are more than UI libraries—they establish the foundations, documentation, governance, and collaboration that enable teams to design and build consistently at scale.

Planning & Audit

Evaluate the product ecosystem, identify reusable opportunities, align business and technical requirements, and establish a strategic foundation for a scalable design system.

Foundations

Define the core visual and interaction principles—including color, typography, spacing, layout, motion, and accessibility—to establish a consistent and scalable design language.

Design Tokens & Figma Variables

Standardize colors, typography, spacing, and other design decisions through tokens and Figma variables to improve consistency and design-to-code alignment.

Component Architecture

Build scalable, reusable component libraries with clear hierarchy, consistent patterns, and flexible properties that support efficient product development.

Checklist


  • Core Components


  • Composite Components


  • Variants


  • Component Properties

  • Interactive Components

  • Responsive Behavior

  • Templates

Documentation

Document component usage, behaviors, accessibility requirements, and design specifications to ensure consistent implementation across products.

Block Widths

  • Full width (ex: Site Section)

  • Column Width (ex: Article Detail)

  • Side Panel Width (ex: Section Navigation)

Responsive behaviour

  • Mobile and Desktop Designs

  • Breakpoints - Desktop to Mobile

  • Any Hover or Pressed States - with labels

Character count

  • max. text count for English and non-English

Validate and maintain inclusive experiences through accessibility standards, usability testing, and quality assurance across the design system.

Checklist

  • WCAG 2.2 AA Review

  • Color Contrast Testing

  • Keyboard Navigation

  • Screen Reader Testing

  • Focus State Validation

  • Component QA

Accessibility & Quality Assurance

Bridge design and engineering through shared systems, clear specifications, and collaborative workflows that ensure accurate, scalable, and maintainable implementation.

Checklist

  • Design & Development Alignment

  • Shared Component Libraries

  • Token Synchronization

  • Component Specifications

  • Developer Handoff

  • Technical Feasibility Review

  • Design QA

  • Implementation Validation

Design-to-Code Collaboration

Continuous Improvement

Continuously evolve the design system through feedback, usage insights, and collaboration to improve scalability, efficiency, and product experiences over time.