Table of Contents
<aside> đź’ˇ
Successful design systems are built to address the needs of their users. A design system's value isn't measured by its cleverness and elegance, but by whether people actually choose to use it.
</aside>
In a vacuum, adoption could be measured as
Effort(Speed, Difficulty) x Fit(Coverage, Customizability)
While every design system shares many of the same parts, the way they are used can vastly differ from company to company and team to team. Here are some of the primary types of design systems.
Platform Design System
Platform design systems represent a specific operational model where a centralized platform team builds and maintains a comprehensive design system as a product itself, which application teams then consume to build their own applications. This is common in large tech companies, financial institutions, and enterprises with multiple product lines.
Product-Specific Design System
Product-specific design systems are highly contextual and optimized for specific use cases. Every component, pattern, and guideline exists to solve real problems that users of that particular product encounter. They tend to be more opinionated and prescriptive because they're serving a focused purpose rather than trying to accommodate diverse needs.
This type of design system is often used consumed and used directly by the same design team that builds and maintains it.
Consistency Guidelines
Use the design system to police what is made, enforcing consistency, often in fear of using development resources to build inconsistent UI.
This is one of the most contentious issues in design systems—when they transform from enablement tools into enforcement mechanisms that stifle creativity and frustrate teams. The HOA analogy is surprisingly apt.