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Composability is essential for UI systems at any scale, but often misunderstood. In our latest newsletter, we share how to make composability the foundation of your design system. #UI #DesignSystems

Reasons design systems fail part 4: Governance challenges. Design systems often germinate in one team. That’s fine for a start, but if ownership stays there, it will only ever solve one team’s problems. To succeed, the system must evolve from a team project to a shared infrastructure. The founding team shouldn’t dictate every detail, but they shouldn’t become a service desk either. Instead, facilitate collaboration. Give all teams the means to contribute. They’ll be more invested in the system’s success if they help build it. Support collaboration with: - Version control - Pull requests - Documentation - Automated testing - Access control

A box of UI bricks only gets you so far. What happens when product teams need parts that don’t exist? Time to examine the Lego analogy more closely. Our latest newsletter…

People are natural problem-solvers. We like to fix things. So when we’re faced with a complex problem, it’s not surprising that we want to solve it. Usually in the fastest and best way possible. But there’s risk in trying to fix the whole problem at once. For one, it can make it very difficult to know where to start, which often leads to a form of paralysis. People naturally bounce on to more readily-solvable problems instead. Almost always, it helps to step back to visualise the range of possibilities. This is where the idea of a continuum can be a powerful tool in understanding. It helps move from reflexive solutionising to a more considered approach. Read the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eK_yUDdX #DesignSystems #UI

Design system projects that start with grand visions can get bogged down under the weight of options. The trick isn’t having all the answers. It's choosing something small enough to finish but visible enough to matter. In our latest newsletter, we share 7 steps to get your design system moving… #UI #DesignSystems

There’s only one question you need to ask when deciding what to demo… Is it interesting? It’s not about how big that new feature is. It’s about whether people will care. An interesting product demo is: ✔️ Easy to understand ✔️ Relevant to people’s work ✔️ Visual If your team’s excited to demo something, that’s usually a good sign. #DesignSystems #UI #ProductDemo

Continuums are a useful model when making decisions in complex circumstances. Plus you get to make funny hand gestures when you explain things. 🫲 🫱 Our latest newsletter…

Reasons design systems fail part 3: Everyone nods at “We need a design system” while imagining their personal magical unicorn.

Reasons design systems fail part 2: bias for the boardroom. Using an external agency to build your design system is no problem. But without care, they can be built *for* client stakeholders, rather than *with* the teams that will ultimately use them. The person making that buying decision usually isn’t responsible for the project’s success. The work might impress leadership, but not work for the teams saddled with it. Instead, embed the agency into your organisation for as long as needed to understand teams’ needs and deliver the design system. #DesignSystems #UI

Reasons design systems fail part 1: scaling is hard. Small organisations work differently to big ones. If you don’t adapt as you grow: problems. If three teams use your design system, it’s easy to get feedback. You can go and talk to them. If you have 30 teams, you need robust processes. You can’t anticipate every problem. But you can stay vigilant. Watch for communication breakdowns as you grow — and pounce when they happen. #DesignSystems #UI