Connect Product Design and Design System

Romina Kavcic

Dec 15, 2022

You're burning cash when your product design and design systems aren't in sync. Period.

Organizations are typically in one of these phases:
⚡️ Chaos, 👥 Silos, or 🌟 Integration.

⚡️⚡️ CHAOS

* Reactive
* "Move fast and break things" mentality
* "I just saw this on site X today; let's copy it."
* No structured process
* Typically, with a UI kit called a design system
* Constantly fixing "urgent" issues
* Lots of subjective thoughts, no data-backed decisions
* Patching components from different files and UI kits
* Lack of long-term vision
* No KPIs, no connection with business goals
* Design maturity is lacking

👥👥 SILOS

* Bigger organization, more design teams
* Each team focuses solely on their "own" KPIs
* Siloed design system team, insufficient syncing with product design teams
* Absence of feedback loops and retrospectives
* Product roadmap not in sync
* Ineffective in a broader strategy

🌟 INTEGRATION

* The design system and product design are aligned
* Involves strategic design
* Data-driven decisions, KPIs are tracked and well-defined
* Connected with business goals
* Cross-functional team
* Iterative process, changes are logged
* Regular feedback loops
* Efficient design processes
* Cohesive user experience
* Drives innovation
* Higher ROI

So, break down those silos and connect with people.
Stop making decisions on the fly.

Published on:

Sep 4, 2023

This post was originally published on my personal Linkedin profile.

I'm Romina. I'm a Design Lead with an MBA. I advise, coach, and consult with companies on product design, design strategy & design systems. I can help you set up teams, processes, and culture.