Summary

We needed a scalable, reusable design system to unify the experience across multiple features and teams while accelerating product velocity.

The Problem

• Inconsistent UI patterns and visual styles across the product.
• Design debt was increasing as teams scaled.
• Engineers re-implemented the same components with variations.
• Slowed down design and development cycles.

Goals

• Unify UI/UX across modules to build brand consistency.
• Improve designer-developer collaboration.
• Create reusable, accessible, and scalable components.
• Reduce design + dev cycle time by at least 30%.

Discovery & Audit

• Conducted UI audit of 8 key modules: dashboards, workflows, reports, settings, etc.
• Identified 40+ inconsistent components (buttons, modals, inputs, etc.)
• Surveyed designers & devs for pain points with current handoff workflows.
• Benchmarked mature systems (e.g. Polaris by Shopify, Atlassian DS, Material UI).

System Architecture

1. Foundations - Typography, Color, Spacing, Grid, Elevation, Motion

2. Components - Buttons, Inputs, Modals, Tables, Tabs, Toasts, etc.

3. Patterns - Form validation, Empty states, Error handling, Navigation

4. Tokens - Used Design Tokens (e.g. spacing-4, primary-500) to align design and code.

Building the System

• Design: Created master components using auto layout, variants, and component properties.
• Documentation: Used Zeroheight to document usage guidelines, do’s & don'ts.
• Engineering: Paired with devs to build React components in Storybook.
• Testing: Visual regression tests using Chromatic; accessibility testing (WCAG 2.1 AA).

Adoption & Rollout

• Created a pilot team to implement the system on a new module.
• Conducted internal workshops to onboard design + dev teams.
• Set up governance with contribution model

Impact

• Reduced UI inconsistencies by 80% in 3 months.
• Cut design-to-dev handoff time by 40%.
• Reduced bug reports related to UI mismatches.
• Improved team morale and confidence in delivering quality UX faster.