Design systems have become an increasingly important tool for developers, designers, and product managers. A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled together to build any number of applications. Design systems provide a consistent visual language across products, making them easier and faster to develop. They make it easier for developers to collaborate and build products faster and more efficiently.
In this article, we'll take a look at the basics of design systems and how they can benefit your organization. We'll also provide some examples of existing design systems and discuss how they work.
What Is a Design System?
A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by standards, that can be used to build applications. The components are usually divided into visual elements (such as colors, typography, images, and buttons) and components such as dialog boxes, forms, and navigation.
When a design system is in place, developers and designers have a shared vocabulary and a shared understanding of how the system works. This allows them to collaborate more efficiently and allows for faster development, as the components are already familiar to all involved.
Benefits of a Design System
There are many benefits associated with using a design system, such as:
- Consistency: By using a shared visual language and components, the user experience across products built with the system is consistent. This makes it easier for users to navigate and use applications, resulting in increased customer satisfaction.
- Faster Development: As components are already built and familiar to both developers and designers, it takes less time to implement features. This reduces development costs and makes it easier to roll out new features.
- Easier Maintenance: Components are designed to be reusable, making it easier to maintain and update applications. This reduces overhead costs and makes it easier to keep applications up to date.
Examples of Design Systems
There are many examples of design systems used by companies and organisations. Some of the most notable include:
- Google’s Material Design: Google’s Material Design is a comprehensive design language used by Google for its products. It provides a consistent visual language for users and developers across all Google products.
- Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines: Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines provide developers and designers with a set of best practices for developing apps for Apple devices. It covers things like color, typography, UI elements, and more.
- Airbnb’s Design Language System: Airbnb’s Design Language System is a set of reusable components and standards for developing applications for Airbnb products. It includes things like components for navigation, forms, and more.
Building a Design System
Building a design system can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't need to be. Start by documenting your visual language and the components you need. You'll also want to create a style guide to ensure everyone is using the same design system.
Then, create the components needed for your applications. This could include things like buttons, forms, and navigation. You'll also want to create documentation for the components, so developers and designers can quickly access information about how to use them.
Finally, make sure your design system is tested and reviewed. This will ensure that it works as expected and meets the requirements of your applications.
Design Systems in the Future
Design systems are becoming increasingly important as organizations strive to create consistent, easy-to-use experiences across products.
In the future, we can expect to see design systems become more comprehensive, with tools and services that make it easier to create and manage them. We can also expect to see more tools that help developers and designers collaborate more effectively when building applications.
Conclusion
Design systems provide a consistent visual language across products, making them easier and faster to develop. They make it easier for developers and designers to collaborate and build products efficiently. There are many benefits associated with using a design system, such as faster development, easier maintenance, and more consistent user experiences. Finally, design systems are becoming increasingly important, and we can expect to see more tools and services that make them easier to manage and use in the future.