📝 Articles
6 ways to use documentation analytics in your next design system launch
Beatriz discusses the importance of using documentation analytics to evaluate the success of design system updates. By revisiting original goals and analysing post-launch behaviour, teams can gain valuable insights into user engagement, identify areas for improvement, and ultimately enhance future launches. They also emphasise sharing findings to demonstrate impact and foster organisational momentum.
The Politics of Design Systems
Jon discusses that building trust is more crucial than merely creating design components. They argue that successful design system adoption hinges on relationships and understanding the needs of users, rather than relying on mandates or enforcement. By fostering trust and demonstrating how the system aligns with individual goals, teams can transform resistance into enthusiasm, ultimately making the design system an indispensable tool for success.
Design system annotations, part 2: Advanced methods of annotating components
Jan outlines advanced methods for creating custom annotations in design systems, focusing on enhancing accessibility before development. They discuss the importance of "Preset annotations" tailored to specific components, which help capture critical information that may not be visually represented or included in coded components. By prioritising components based on their impact and aligning them with organisational goals, teams can ensure effective implementation and improve user experiences.
👀 Interesting Reads
Integrating Design And Code With Native Design Tokens In Penpot
The Penpot team introduces native design tokens, enhancing integration between design and code. This new feature allows users to create and manage tokens seamlessly within the platform, enabling effective theming and scalability across products. By adhering to W3C standards, Penpot simplifies the synchronisation of design elements with code, fostering better collaboration and maintainability within design systems while reducing reliance on third-party tools.
Introducing Brands for Nord Design System
Ariel reflects on the recent launch of version 4.0 of the Nord Design System, highlighting the significant consolidation of two platforms into one cohesive system. This update not only enhances the theming architecture with brand-specific options but also improves documentation and introduces community assets, empowering feature teams to innovate more rapidly while preserving the core design system's integrity.
Architecting Components in Design Systems: Why It Feels Overwhelming (And How to Tackle It)
Gulshan Rahman discusses the complexities of architecting components within design systems, highlighting the challenges of aligning design and code. By breaking down components into anatomy, properties, and composition, they provide a framework for tackling these issues, while also sharing valuable resources that have aided their journey. This honest exploration encourages others facing similar struggles to embrace the complexity and collaborate in finding effective solutions.
🧰 Tools / Resources
SCALES - Design Tokens Starter Canvas
Scales is a free FigJam resource from Philipp Jeroma, helping teams align before developing design tokens. It features a structured canvas with pre-formulated questions across five planning pillars: Strategic Alignment, Organisation & Governance, Infrastructure, Architecture & Scaling, and Maintenance. This tool aids in defining goals and processes, facilitating smarter decision-making while reducing technical debt, making it ideal for design system teams and product designers.
From Figma Tokens to WordPress Styles in Minutes: Our New Figma Plugin
Fabian introduces the new Figma to WordPress Automation plugin, which aims to reduce the gap between design and development by automating the export of design tokens from Figma into a WordPress theme.json file. This open-source tool dramatically cuts down the time required for translating design elements, transforming a 10-15 hour task into approximately one hour, while maintaining consistency in styles across WordPress projects.
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