Clients often ask us for a design system as if it were a file: a Figma library with buttons, inputs and a colour page. We can make that file in two weeks. It will be out of date in two months.
A design system is a promise to everyone who builds the product: if you use these parts, the result will look right, read right and work for everyone. The library is only how you keep it.
Three promises worth making
- One way to show money, dates and statuses, everywhere.
- Every component works with a keyboard and a screen reader.
- Every component exists in Figma and in code, with the same name.
At Bastion Pay we wrote these promises before we drew a single component. They decided what went into the system and what stayed out.
Someone has to keep the promise
A system without an owner decays. Before we hand over, we name the person on the client side who approves new components, and we run three sessions with them on how to say no.
The most useful thing a design system owner says is: we already have a component for that.
If you are about to start a design system, start with the promises. The components will follow.
