Shortcut Design Systems

Vladimir Khokhlov explains how going off the shelf can help you get a design system in place without breaking the bank

Many design agencies and software houses push the idea of creating a design system from scratch. While the benefits of a bespoke system can be very appealing, the time and money it requires can be prohibitive.

Building a new design system requires the ongoing recreation of new components and redefinition of how to use them. That involves designers constantly redesigning and developers constantly rebuilding. This sucks up team productivity and costs can spiral out of control, which particularly problematic for startups with limited resources and time. Is it really worth it?

An alternative is to select an off-the-shelf design system with tried and tested benefits that you can take advantage of from the get-go. You can use its existing documentation and principles and match them to a user interface (UI) toolkit that works for you. This means your design and development teams can work on more valuable things, such as delivering features and experiences at speed – all while maintaining your existing team size. What’s more, using an existing design system doesn’t mean it can’t evolve incrementally to become your desired system in the future.

If you decide to use an off-the-shelf design system, it can feel like the wild west when choosing one. So here are a few things to consider when choosing:

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