How to ensure visual consistency and enable scalable changes

About

Building a design system streamlines visual consistency and enables quick changes across products. However, the way we structure and think about components and tokens is what truly dictates our ability to scale efficiently. By defining clear relationships between design elements, we ensure not only consistency but also flexibility. The principles of atomic design provide a robust framework for breaking down complex interfaces into smaller, reusable components, making it easier to manage both in design tools like Figma and in code. This approach allows us to maintain a cohesive design language while adapting to evolving product needs, ensuring that changes at any level—whether small adjustments or large-scale updates—can be implemented with precision and speed.

Tokens

Primary

md.sys.color.primary.primary

On Primary

md.sys.color.primary.on-primary

Primary Container

md.sys.color.primary.primary-container

On Primary Container

md.sys.color.primary.on-primary-container

Surface

md.sys.color.surface.surface

On Surface

md.sys.color.surface.on-surface

On Surface-variant

md.sys.color.surface.on-surface-variant

Using
tokens

Scalable
change

Wrap
it up

Building a design system requires the ability to understand the project’s current stage, as well as the skill to negotiate and align the design, product, and engineering teams. This alignment is the foundation for the project’s success. As a Product Designer, the project demanded strong negotiation, communication, and goal-setting skills, along with defining metrics to track progress and ensure transparency for stakeholders. The success of this project reflects my ability to lead and deliver value not only to the company but also to my colleagues.