Navigating the challenges of keeping design systems up-to-date: seeking perspectives and solutions

frank.sun
22 replies
Facing the rapid pace of design evolution, keeping design systems current is a complex task. Your insights can power up our community's approach to this universal challenge. Join the discussion now!

Replies

Robin Dhanwani
After running a Product Design Studio for more than 10 years, here's what I can recommend - A strong vision and minimalist designs are key. This has really helped us in efficiently managing and updating our design systems, ensuring we deliver top-notch work.
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Alvaro Villalba Perez
Have a strong vision about design and try to not change it too often, going minimalist helps with this although it's still complex (everyone feels like they can do a better design than the existing ones)
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Gurkaran Singh
Ah, keeping design systems up-to-date is like herding digital cats in a room full of laser pointers – challenging yet oddly satisfying when everything falls into place! How do you tackle this ever-evolving beast of design updates and stay sane, tech wizards?
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xieyankun
A big challenge is getting everyone to actually use the updated design system instead of sticking to their old habits.
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Tim Yang
@xiexielee Adopting a new design system is key to innovation, pushing past comfort zones to embrace consistency and progress.
Susie
It's true that getting the team to embrace an updated design system over familiar routines presents a challenge, yet it's a pivotal step towards innovation and consistency.
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Echo Lee
It's true that getting the team to embrace an updated design system over familiar routines presents a challenge, yet it's a pivotal step towards innovation and consistency.
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frank.sun
Indeed, encouraging adoption of the new design system over old habits is crucial for progress.
jiye
One thing that's worked for us is creating a 'design system ops' role specifically dedicated to maintaining the system.
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Gary.lu
Creating a dedicated 'design system ops' role is a strategic move that underscores the importance of maintaining a robust design system. It not only ensures that the system remains cohesive and up-to-date but also frees up other team members to focus more on innovation rather than maintenance. This specialization can significantly enhance efficiency and productivity, allowing design principles to evolve fluidly with the project demands.
Tim Yang
That's a smart approach—having a dedicated 'design system ops' role ensures the system remains current and fully integrated into workflows.
dust2
Our team schedules regular audits of the design system, which helps us catch and address issues more proactively."
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frank.sun
@holly_lee2 Balancing between consistency and innovation is crucial; finding a middle ground can foster both reliability and creativity.
Holly
Regular audits, though well-intentioned, can sometimes be too rigid and stifle creativity by focusing too heavily on consistency over innovation.
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frank.sun
@wuhuajia Smart strategy, regular audits ensure your design system remains efficient and up-to-date.
Iven Hsu
What's helped us is integrating design system updates into our sprint cycles, treating them as essential tasks rather than afterthoughts.
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frank.sun
@ivenvd Yes, incorporating design system updates into sprint cycles as essential tasks is a proactive approach to ensuring continuous improvement.
yf
We've found automating as much of the documentation process as possible can significantly reduce the maintenance burden.
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frank.sun
@yufei_wen Automating documentation is a smart move to ease maintenance efforts and enhance efficiency.
frank.sun
@bay_bai True, automation streamlines processes but must be balanced with oversight to maintain accuracy and a personal touch.
Bay Bai
Automating documentation might cut corners, but risks errors and lacks personal touch. Could be a double-edged sword.
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