The traditional software testing philosophy emphasizes meticulous planning, building a robust test suite before coding begins. This approach resembles a sturdy fortress, offering protection from unforeseen threats. However, as design systems (DS) morph into intricate, interconnected networks, this rigid methodology reveals its limitations. The Challenge of Complexity Imagine a DS as a living ecosystem. Its … Read more
Have you ever dreamt of building a Web Components UI Library that perfectly reflects your brand identity, but felt overwhelmed by the options? Microsoft’s FAST (Functional, Adaptive, Secure, and Timeless) toolkit can be your secret weapon! Let’s explore FAST’s potential as a foundation for crafting your own unique design system. What is FAST? Launched in … Read more
I’m on a quest : discovering how incredible Design Systems leverage Web Components to bring quality and efficiency to all their Web projects! Today, we’ll be exploring Spectrum 2, a powerful and inspiring system created by the design giant, Adobe. Launched in 2013, Spectrum has undergone a remarkable evolution over the past decade. Backed by … Read more
Let’s talk design tokens and the lessons we learned! In our quest for a stellar design system, we embarked on the exciting journey of implementing them –– and well, we encountered some roadblocks. The initial setup was smooth. Our design team had recently switched from Sketch to Figma, and this presented a golden opportunity to … Read more
Hey there, design systems enthusiasts! Let’s talk Web Components again. We’ve discussed why they’re great and how to build them, but it’s time to address the elephant in the room : “Why is their adoption so low if they’re so great?”. On the surface, they seem like a perfect fit for building reusable component libraries. … Read more
Ever feel like accessibility is a constant battle in your dev team? You preach the importance, you evangelize, you showcase bug fixes in weekly meetings, but integrating it into the daily workflow can feel overwhelming. Well, fret no more, fellow accessibility champion! Here’s a story about a super easy solution that transformed our team’s approach … Read more
Welcome back! In my previous article Choosing the Best Framework for Your Design System, we explored the benefits of web components for design systems, particularly their framework-agnostic nature. This allows a single library to power projects built with various frameworks (or no framework at all!). Today, let’s dive deeper and understand the technical aspects of … Read more
Selecting a framework for your design system is a crucial decision. This choice will significantly impact the system’s usability and maintainability as your component library grows and adoption increases. While often overlooked, careful consideration upfront can save time and resources in the long run. Understanding Your Users As a product designed for internal teams and … Read more
In the realm of web accessibility, color contrast is not just about aesthetics; it is a fundamental requirement. This article focuses on the technical aspects of color contrast, particularly for interactive elements in different states like hover and focus. Finally we will explore whether these states need to meet specific contrast criteria to ensure WCAG … Read more
Without an effective plan to communicate what happens within your Design System, you’re not reaching everyone you should and missing out on valuable feedback and showcasing your Design System’s value. Communicating what the Governance does and what the Design System offers is the way you ensure consumers know about what you do so they can … Read more