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Product Management

The Definitive Guide To Your Design Language System Roadmap

Author: Ashton Coghlan, Senior Product Manager and Oleg Ivanov, Design Tech Architect @ InRhythm

Overview

Building a Design Language System is a transformative journey that empowers organizations to establish a cohesive and consistent visual identity across their digital products. By investing time and effort into crafting a comprehensive roadmap, teams can navigate the complexities of implementing a Design Language System with clarity and purpose.

Struggling to figure out the order in which you should build your Design Language System components? Here’s a logical roadmap that shows how your work next week can build off of this week’s work.

  • Overview
  • The Definitive Design Language System Roadmap 
  • Closing Thoughts

The Definitive Design Language System Roadmap

01. Design Principles And Style Guides

Before starting with actual components, define your design principles and create a style guide that includes brand colors, typography, and general aesthetic direction. This provides a basis for all the components that will be created later.

02. Grid And Layout

These are the basic structural elements of your design. It’s important to start with them because they will provide the skeleton for all your designs, ensuring consistency across different parts of the application.

03. Buttons

Buttons are among the most fundamental interactive elements in any interface. They are simple enough to serve as the first real test of your design principles and style guide.

04. Input Fields

Inputs like text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons allow users to interact with your system. They are the basis of forms, which are an essential part of most interfaces, allowing user registration, data input, and configuration settings.

05. Form Layouts

Now that you have individual inputs, it’s time to think about how they work together in forms. This includes error states, help text, labels, and form organization.

06. Navigation

Navigation components like menus, sidebars, and tabs guide users through your application. These components are more complex, but they build directly on previous components.

07. Notifications

Alerts, badges, toasts, and other notification components provide feedback to the user. They often contain other elements (like text and buttons), so it makes sense to create them after those base components.

08. Cards And Tiles

These are reusable components that often group other components together. They can contain images, text, buttons, etc., so they should be created once those underlying components are finished.

09. Modals And Popovers

Modals and popovers are common components for user interactions. They typically contain a combination of many other components, so it’s best to tackle them once you have a good set of other components to work with.

10. Tables And Lists

These are used to display collections of data. Tables can be quite complex, requiring careful consideration of responsive behaviors, interactivity, and accessibility.

11. Charts And Graphs

These components are typically more complex and specific to certain use cases, so they often come later in the process. They can be built using a library or custom-built, depending on your needs.

12. Templates

They refer to reusable layout patterns for common pages or sections within an application or website. They help to ensure consistency and efficiency in design and development. 

Here are some common types of templates:

  • Homepage Template

This could include areas for a hero section, features or services, testimonials, and a footer.

  • Product Page Template

For e-commerce sites or applications, this template would include areas for product images, product details, price, add to cart button, and related products.

  • Article Or Blog Post Template

This template would include a title area, author information, the main content area, related articles, and comments section.

  • Dashboard Template 

For applications with a dashboard, this template would include areas for navigation, widgets or cards for key metrics, and possibly a section for recent activity.

  • Form Template

This could be a generic template for any form, with areas for a form title, form fields, a submit button, and error messages.

  • Authentication Template 

This template would include forms for login, registration, and password reset.

  • Profile Page Template 

This template would have areas for a profile picture, user information, and settings.

  • Error Page Template

This template would include a message about the error, possibly some humorous or branded graphic, and a call to action to return to the homepage or previous page.

13. Advanced Components

Finally, you will have some components that are specific to your application, which might be more complex or just different from standard components.

  • Interactive Maps

These could include features like zooming, adding markers, or displaying information on hover or click.

  • Custom Video Player 

This could include custom controls for play/pause, volume, and fullscreen, as well as possibly features like captions, speed control, and a progress bar.

  • Complex Data Visualizations

These might go beyond standard charts and graphs to include interactive features, multiple data sets, or complex animations.

  • Rich Text Editor

This component could include text formatting options, image insertion, and possibly even features like auto-save or version control.

14. Interactive Timeline/Carousel

These could include custom animations, swipe or drag interactions, and responsive behavior.

  • E-Commerce Components

This could include a custom shopping cart, product configurator, or checkout process.

  • Interactive 3D Models

This could be used in industries like architecture, interior design, or e-commerce to provide an interactive 3D view of a product or space.

  • Real-Time Chat Or Messaging Component

This could include features like typing indicators, read receipts, and attachment options.

Closing Thoughts

With a well-defined roadmap in place, the organization can embark on a transformative journey, unleashing the power of a unified design language across all digital touch points. By aligning design and development teams, streamlining workflows, and fostering consistency, the design language system will become an invaluable asset, driving user engagement, brand recognition, and ultimately, the success of the organization’s digital products.

So, start building your roadmap, gather your team, and embark on the exciting adventure of creating a design language system that will elevate your organization’s digital experiences to new heights.

At InRhythm, we have extensive experience in helping organizations set up their design language systems for success. Our team of experts can provide guidance on best practices for tracking and analyzing key metrics, as well as help organizations develop and implement a design language system that is tailored to their unique needs and goals. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help your organization succeed with its Design Language System, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

How To Effectively Measure The Direct Impact Of Your Design Language System

Author: Ashton Coghlan, Senior Product Manager and Oleg Ivanov, Design Tech Architect @ InRhythm

Overview

The work of your designers has a substantial impact on your business, despite it sometimes being a challenging, tangible KPI to measure. Showing the value of your designers’ work, can result in a positive focus on business goals around the needs of your users. You can start driving value around the infrastructure of a Design Language System so that your designers can focus on higher value problems, moments of delight in your customers’ experiences, and your overall product quality. A Design Language System can help refine the quality of your product by making the experience more consistent, predictable, and accessible. 

In order to understand the lasting impact of a Design Language System in your organization, we’ll be prioritizing some high-level subject areas:

  • Overview
  • What Is A Design Language System?
  • How Do We Measure The Business Impact Of A Design Language System?
  • What Are The Leading Indicators To Measure Impact?
  • Design Efficiency
  • Developer Efficiency 
  • Closing Thoughts

What Is A Design Language System?

A Design Language System is a collection of reusable design components, guidelines, and standards that are used to create a consistent and cohesive user experience across an organization’s products and services. It is a set of rules and principles that guide the design and development process, ensuring consistency and coherence in the design of digital products.

A Design Language System includes not only visual elements like typography, color palettes, and iconography, but also components like buttons, forms, and navigation menus, as well as guidelines for interaction design, accessibility, and branding. The purpose of a Design Language System is to streamline the design and development process, reduce inconsistencies, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of design teams. It also ensures a better user experience, making it easier for users to interact with and navigate through digital products.

How Do We Measure The Business Impact Of A Design Language System?

Measuring business impact is important because it helps organizations understand the value that their Design Language System is providing to the business. By tracking key metrics, organizations can identify areas where the Design Language System is driving business outcomes, as well as areas where it may need to be improved.

Here are some key metrics to measure business impact:

  • Return On Investment (ROI): This metric measures the financial impact of the Design Language System on the organization. It helps to determine whether the investment in the Design Language System is paying off in terms of increased revenue, cost savings, or other financial benefits.
  • Time To Market: This metric measures the speed at which new products or features can be launched to the market using the Design Language System. It helps to determine whether the Design Language System is enabling the organization to be more agile and responsive to market changes.
  • Customer Satisfaction: This metric measures how satisfied customers are with the products or services that are built using the Design Language System. It helps to ensure that the Design Language System is meeting the needs and expectations of customers, and can also provide insights into areas where improvements may be needed.
  • Employee Productivity: This metric measures the efficiency and effectiveness of the design and development teams that are using the Design Language System. It helps to determine whether the Design Language System is improving productivity, reducing errors, and enabling teams to work more collaboratively and efficiently.

What Are The Leading Indicators To Measure Impact?

Adoption and usage are the only things that matter after you know what you need to build. And the sneaky hard part of this is you often don’t know what you truly need to build until you measure adoption and usage. (This is where the magic of Product Management comes into play!)

Here are some key metrics to measure adoption and usage of a Design Language System:

  • Number Of Active Users: This metric measures the number of users who have actively used the Design Language System components in a given period, such as a week or a month. It helps to gauge the reach and impact of the Design Language System across the organization.
  • Number Of Design Language System Components Used: This metric measures the number of unique Design Language System components used in products or applications. It helps to identify which components are most popular and which ones are underutilized.
  • Number Of Design Language System Integrations: This metric measures the number of products or applications that have integrated the Design Language System. It helps to determine how widespread the adoption of the Design Language System is across the organization.
  • Number Of Design Language System Updates: This metric measures the number of updates made to the Design Language System in a given period, such as a week or a month. It helps to ensure that the Design Language System is up-to-date and relevant to the changing needs of the organization.
  • User Feedback And Satisfaction: This metric measures user feedback and satisfaction with the Design Language System, which can be collected through surveys, user testing, or other means. It helps to identify areas for improvement and to ensure that the design language system is meeting the needs of its users.

By tracking these metrics, organizations can gain insights into the adoption and usage of their Design Language System and make data-driven decisions to improve its effectiveness and impact.

Design Efficiency

Measuring design efficiency is important because it helps organizations ensure that their Design Language System is supporting efficient and effective design processes. By tracking key metrics related to design efficiency, organizations can identify areas where they can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and improve the quality and consistency of their design outputs.

Here are some key metrics to measure design efficiency:

  • Time To Create New Designs: This metric measures the amount of time it takes to create new designs using the Design Language System. It helps to identify areas where the Design Language System may be slowing down the design process or where additional training or resources may be needed to improve efficiency.
  • Time To Make Updates To Existing Designs: This metric measures the amount of time it takes to make updates to existing designs using the Design Language System. It helps to identify areas where the Design Language System may be creating bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the design process.
  • Design Consistency: This metric measures the level of consistency and coherence in the design outputs produced using the Design Language System. It helps to ensure that designs are aligned with brand standards and that user experience is consistent across different products and services.
  • Design Quality: This metric measures the quality of the design outputs produced using the Design Language System, including factors such as usability, accessibility, and visual appeal. It helps to ensure that designs are of a high standard and meet the needs and expectations of users.

By tracking these metrics, organizations can gain insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of their design processes, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that their Design Language System is supporting high-quality design outputs that meet the needs of users and the business.

Developer Efficiency

Measuring developer efficiency is important because it helps organizations ensure that their Design Language System is supporting efficient and effective development processes. By tracking key metrics related to developer efficiency, organizations can identify areas where they can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and improve the quality and consistency of their development outputs.

Here are some key metrics to measure developer efficiency:

  • Time To Implement New Designs: This metric measures the amount of time it takes developers to implement new designs using the Design Language System. It helps to identify areas where the Design Language System may be slowing down the development process or where additional training or resources may be needed to improve efficiency.
  • Time To Make Updates To Existing Designs: This metric measures the amount of time it takes developers to make updates to existing designs using the Design Language System. It helps to identify areas where the Design Language System may be creating bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the development process.
  • Developer Satisfaction With The Design Language System: This metric measures the satisfaction of developers with the Design Language System, including factors such as ease of use, accessibility, and usefulness. It helps to ensure that the Design Language System is meeting the needs and expectations of the development team and that they are able to work more efficiently and collaboratively.
  • Number Of Bugs And Issues: This metric measures the number of bugs and issues that are encountered during the development process using the Design Language System. It helps to identify areas where improvements may be needed in the Design Language System, as well as areas where additional training or resources may be needed to reduce errors and improve efficiency.

By tracking these metrics, organizations can gain insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of their development processes, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that their design language system is supporting high-quality development outputs that meet the needs of users and the business.

Closing Thoughts

In summary, a Design Language System is a collection of reusable design components, guidelines, and standards that are used to create a consistent and cohesive user experience across an organization’s products and services. Measuring the success of a Design Language System is important because it helps organizations ensure that the system is meeting the needs of users and the business. There are several key metrics that organizations can track to measure the success of their Design Language System, including adoption and usage metrics, design efficiency metrics, developer efficiency metrics, and business impact metrics.

To track and analyze these metrics, organizations can use tools such as analytics platforms and surveys, as well as conduct user testing and gather feedback from development teams. Product Managers can play a critical role in driving the success of a Design Language System by setting clear goals and objectives, identifying key metrics to track, and ensuring that the Design Language System is meeting the needs of users and the business.

At InRhythm, we have extensive experience in helping organizations set up their design language systems for success. Our team of experts can provide guidance on best practices for tracking and analyzing key metrics, as well as help organizations develop and implement a design language system that is tailored to their unique needs and goals. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help your organization succeed with its Design Language System, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Why Your Design Language System Needs A Product Manager

Overview

A Senior Product Manager specializing in Enterprise Design Language Systems offers expertise in creating, scaling, and optimizing cohesive Design Language Systems that drive efficiency, consistency, and innovation across large organizations. By leveraging their deep understanding of product development, user experience, and cross-functional collaboration, they empower enterprises to accelerate innovation, hack their own bureaucracies, and enhance product quality while reducing design debt, as well as development and maintenance costs. 

In Ashton Coghlan’s Lightning Talk session, we will be uncovering the the primary strategies for effectively Product Managing Design Language Systems:

  • Overview
  • What Is A Design Language System?
  • What Does A Product Manager Bring To Your Design Language System?
  • Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Product Manager
  • Closing Thoughts

What Is A Design Language System?

By direct definition, a Design System is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled together to build any number of applications. According to Emmet Connolly, Director Of Product Design at Intercom, “… most Design Systems are really just Pattern Libraries: a big box of UI Lego pieces that can be assembled in near-infinite ways. All the pieces may be consistent, but that doesn’t mean the assembled results will be. Your product is more than just a pile of reusable UI elements. It has structure and meaning. It’s not a generic web page, it’s the embodiment of a system of concepts.” 

The Design Language System can be considered the source of truth for how elements look and behave.

  • Designers, developers and content authors can use the DLS to check if an element of design already exists
  • Content authors can use the DLS for instructions on how to use certain design components

Like a natural language, the Design Language System is supposed to grow over time as components are progressively added to it.

Design Language Systems are aimed to be a shared Language for understanding design, that transparently leads to understanding implementation. 

In short, a Design Language System is a living, breathing organism that guides and supports the building blocks of your product.

What Does A Product Manager Bring To Your Design Language System?

Design Systems have become an essential part of efficient product development workflows, and there is a great benefit to treating the system as a product itself. Design Systems are ever-evolving tools and processes that need product management to support the full lifecycle from the initial build throughout ongoing maintenance and iterations.

The collaborative efforts of a cross-functional product trio including design, engineering, and product management are key to building a successful Design System that will continue delivering value to an organization over time. 

As the Design System matures, a product manager can help keep a groomed backlog for new releases, maintain intake and support processes, and measure/report on the impact of the Design System to ensure ongoing investment.  

Top 10 Reasons To Hire A Product Manager

Where system designers and engineers have the subject matter expertise to build a Design System that’s compatible with current workflows and technology, a dedicated product manager can help align the vision for the System to the goals of the organization, prioritize the roadmap based on those goals, and build a communications strategy to drive adoption and create feedback loops with consuming teams.

Proven benefits of hiring a Product Manager to support the implementation of your Design Language System are:

  1. Cross-functional Collaboration– A product manager facilitates communication and collaboration among different teams, such as design, development, and business. This ensures that the Design Language System meets the needs of all stakeholders.
  2. Strategic Vision– Product managers have the ability to define and execute a long-term strategy for the Design Language System, ensuring it aligns with the company’s goals and objectives.
  3. Prioritization– With many competing demands, a product manager can prioritize features and improvements to the Design Language System, maximizing the value delivered to the organization.
  4. Customer Focus–  Product managers have experience understanding customer needs and incorporating their feedback into the Design Language System. This ensures a user-centric approach that improves usability and adoption (Your downstream product teams are your customers).
  5. Change Management–  Implementing a Design Language System can involve significant changes in processes and tools. A product manager can help manage these changes, ensuring a smooth transition and minimizing disruptions.
  6. Metrics And Measurement– Product managers track and analyze metrics related to the Design Language System’s adoption, usage, and effectiveness. This data-driven approach helps identify areas for improvement and demonstrates the value of the Design Language System to stakeholders.
  7. Scalability–  As your organization grows, a product manager can ensure that the Design Language System scales effectively, addressing the needs of an increasing number of users and projects.
  8. Documentation And Training–  Product managers can oversee the creation of clear, concise documentation and training materials, ensuring that team members can easily access and understand the Design Language System.
  9. Continuous Improvement–  Product managers are adept at iterating on products and systems, ensuring that the Design Language System remains up-to-date and evolves with the needs of the organization and industry.
  10. Budget And Resource Management–  A product manager can help allocate resources efficiently, making the most of your budget and ensuring that the Design Language System’s development stays on track.

These factors not only enhance the viability of the Design Language System from the start – but provide a solid foundation for its enduring influence within your organization.

Closing Thoughts

Working with the client, Product Managers craft a tailored Design Language System strategy that aligns with their unique business objectives, elevates their brand, and fosters a seamless user experience across all their digital products and platforms.