Design Systems (Deep Workflow)

A design system is shared UI infrastructure: tokens, components, patterns, and governance so products feel cohesive without freezing innovation.

When to Offer This Workflow

Trigger conditions:

• Multiple apps diverging visually; mounting accessibility debt
• Launching or rebooting a component library; token refresh
• Figma and production code drifting apart

Initial offer:

Use six stages: (1) strategy & principles, (2) design tokens, (3) components & API, (4) accessibility & content, (5) docs & tooling, (6) governance & adoption). Confirm framework (React/Vue/Svelte) and design tooling.

Stage 1: Strategy & Principles

Goal: Why the system exists (speed, a11y, brand); explicit non-goals (not every pixel must be centralized).

Exit condition: One-page principles: density, tone, motion philosophy.

Stage 2: Design Tokens

Goal: Semantic color, type, space, radius, motion—names like surface.default instead of raw hex everywhere.

Practices

• Plan light/dark and density themes early

Stage 3: Components & API

Goal: Composable primitives vs bloated “kitchen sink” widgets; stable props API with semver discipline.

Practices

• Prefer composition / slots over prop explosion

Stage 4: Accessibility & Content

Goal: WCAG baseline per component: focus rings, labels, error patterns, live regions where needed.

Stage 5: Docs & Tooling

Goal: Storybook or equivalent; usage guidelines; code snippets; do/don’t examples.

Stage 6: Governance & Adoption

Goal: Contribution guide; deprecation policy; champions or office hours per product line.

Final Review Checklist

• [ ] Strategy and principles agreed
• [ ] Token layer semantic and themeable
• [ ] Component APIs stable and composable
• [ ] Accessibility baseline per component
• [ ] Documentation and live examples
• [ ] Contribution and deprecation governance

Tips for Effective Guidance

• Figma ↔ code parity needs owners and a sync cadence.
• Do not ship a component without keyboard and screen-reader checks.

Handling Deviations

• Small teams: start with tokens + a few primitives—defer full catalog.