Overview
I led FrontStream's design system initiative by creating the process, designing components myself, and mentoring team members.
The team had a goal to reduce discrepancies, eliminate the need for designers to recreate components, and provide clarity to the Engineering team.
Full case study available upon request
ROLE
Lead User Experience Designer
RESPONSIBILITIES
Led design of 75% of the components
Mentored junior designers
TEAM
3 UX Designers, 1 UX Design Manager, 3 Software Engineers, 1 QA
Approach
Prioritization
The team collaborated to create a component development sequence, beginning with core design tokens and basic components, then prioritizing based on component relationships and active project requirements.
Component Creation
I developed a process where each component’s assigned Designer researched other design systems, audited our existing instances, and led team discussions.
I designed 75% of the components and mentored junior Designers on the rest.
Once a direction was established, the Designer created the component file and added it to the library.
When I wasn't the lead Designer, I advised on best practices for creating components.
Implementation
I partnered with Engineering to bring the design system to life across all platform touchpoints.
Results
This project helped align both the Design Team and the Engineering Team to create a more cohesive platform for users.
What I Learned
The biggest impact for my professional growth and development was how I acted as a mentor.
I learned I have more of a "show don't tell" kind of philosophy, especially as the majority of the discussions were visual.
Most importantly, I learned that I truly enjoy NOT having to ask a question because the other designs had already thought about it.
