Development and design are vital in creating a digital platform. Providing the best user experience is a common objective shared by both design and development teams. As a result, ideas that facilitate better cooperation between designers and developers by giving them the tools they need to work together effectively offer several advantages. One such idea is the “design systems.”
These are collections of design elements that are grouped on a single platform to support a consistent and scalable design process. A design system can also be referred to as a design language. We can think of it as a structured and documented library tailored to a product team’s needs and containing all of the resources team members will require to construct the product.
Design systems are similar to component libraries from the developers’ perspective, but they are much more than that. A design system collects tangible and intangible items, including documentation, style guides, patterns, etc. These are all examples of the types of things included in a design system.
Table of Contents
1. Design Tokens
The design tokens, which include spacing, shadows, etc., are a design system’s most minute component. To generate components, the developers need something called a “design token.” The use of design systems, which offer a centralized data repository for the tokens and improve the developers’ ability to work together, is essential.
In addition, it is simple to update and adapt the design of the tokens to accommodate any modifications that may be made to the tokens.
2. Lower Code Maintenance
Updating the assets in production can be time-consuming, even for relatively straightforward design modifications. The developers are wasting a significant portion of their valuable time and effort here.
When a design system is in place, developing new products and performing maintenance on existing ones is much simpler. It provides a place for collaborative work where individual components can be built, modified, and tested in isolation for various scenarios. Maintenance of the code is hence simplified with design systems.
3. Managing designer-handoff
Within the design system, you’ll find design kits containing materials such as brand guidelines and brand resources. Design kits could assist in mapping design systems on both the developer and the designer sides. It helps to address any difficulties that may arise and makes the handoff between designers and developers easier.
Consequently, developers can consistently have access to the most recent design versions by way of the design system. That is because the design system contains an up-to-date record of all design components.
4. Useful Documentation
Providing exhaustive documentation distinguishes design systems from other documentation resources, such as style guides and pattern libraries. Documentation addresses every area, including design details, guidelines, and instructions on how to do tasks.
Developers stand to gain a great deal from reading documentation of this kind because it teaches them how to use design tokens and component libraries effectively.
5. Brand Language Guide
Design systems provide a guide to the brand’s language, which is a guide to how the product interacts with the customers. These can be of great assistance to software engineers.
Conclusion
Design systems give developers the tools they need to do their jobs more effectively by lowering their reliance on the direct assistance of designers and improving teamwork. The central reference system is available for developers to consult and download any design elements they require at any time. There is no requirement to inquire with designers or wait for a response from them. It makes the whole process pretty efficient.
