User Experience
Design System
Plain English
A toolkit for consistent design.
Definition
A design glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term is a collection of reusable components, guidelines, and standards for building consistent products.
In practice
Used to maintain glossaryConsistencyConsistency is the use of uniform patterns, behaviours, and visual elements across a product to create familiarity and predictability. It helps users learn once and apply that knowledge throughout the experience.Open glossary term across design and development through shared glossaryPatternA pattern is a reusable solution to a design problem that recurs across products and contexts. It captures an approach already shown to work, so a team solves the problem once rather than every time it appears.Open glossary term and components.
In context
It succeeds or fails on adoption, not on completeness. A thorough glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term nobody uses because it is faster to glossaryBuildA build is the process of compiling and packaging code into a runnable application.Open glossary term from scratch is a documentation project.
The reality
Often created but not maintained, leading to inconsistency over time.
Compared with
Design System vs Component Library
A component glossaryLibraryA library is a collection of pre-written code that developers can use to perform common tasks.Open glossary term is the set of reusable built pieces. A design glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term adds the principles, usage guidance, and glossaryGovernanceGovernance defines the rules, processes, and structures that guide decision-making and ensure accountability within an organisation or system.Open glossary term for when and why to use them. Libraries ship consistency; systems maintain it.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What is a design system?
A set of components and guidelines for design.
Why is it important?
It ensures glossaryConsistencyConsistency is the use of uniform patterns, behaviours, and visual elements across a product to create familiarity and predictability. It helps users learn once and apply that knowledge throughout the experience.Open glossary term and glossaryEfficiencyEfficiency measures how quickly and easily users can complete tasks once they are familiar with a system.Open glossary term.
What does it include?
Components, glossaryPatternA pattern is a reusable solution to a design problem that recurs across products and contexts. It captures an approach already shown to work, so a team solves the problem once rather than every time it appears.Open glossary term, and rules.
What is a common issue?
Lack of maintenance.
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