Are the Design Systems Just Another Emperor’s Wardrobe?

Organizations often desire a UX design system but avoid taking the necessary steps to create the right one.

A well-executed design system symbolizes UX maturity that everyone wishes to showcase, akin to a status symbol. However, one must do more than copy and paste a design system and expect it to seamlessly align with their specific requirements.

A Complete Redesign

For instance, when a client requested a complete redesign of their electronic health record platform, the project lead assigned each designer a screen to revamp using the design system they had initially assembled. My responsibility encompassed the appointment calendar and the primary landing page for all user flows.

The challenge lay in using the design system elements from the existing platform. In UX design, achieving significant change and enhancement necessitates reevaluating the approach and the associated components.

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

I crafted two low-fidelity wireframes: one adhered to the existing design system, while the other incorporated elements that deviated from the design system. The second design approach proved superior in light of user research and feedback on the current system. However, the key stakeholders opted to adhere to the inferior design.

Subsequently, during a conversation with the project lead, I learned that the decision to stick with the inferior design was partly influenced by organizational politics and partly by apprehension.

The political aspect stemmed from a key stakeholder viewing the design system as a critical achievement that would expedite the design and development of the new platform. However, design systems must be monitored, maintained and expanded to accelerate an organization’s progress.

Deviating Significantly from the Design

The apprehension revolved around the perceived risk of deviating significantly from the existing design approach and the potential implications for development. It is ironic to resist change in a transformational project. Stakeholders can mitigate these risks by understanding the iterative design and testing process.

So, while the organization may have projected an image of UX maturity and a focus on users, it needed to follow through on that promise.

Key Takeaway

A design system is a tool, and like any tool, for it to be effective, you need to do the work to build it and test it for the target audience. There are no shortcuts if you genuinely want to be a UX-centric, design-driven organization.

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