Jeremy Dembowski

Design Systems @ Nordstrom

[Matt Ström-Awn @mattstromawn]

We recently rebuilt our color palettes at Stripe, using a systematic approach to make sure they can be fully themed, while staying accessible and expressive.

I wrote up everything I learned! If you're designing a design system, this essay is for you:

https://t.co/CVaLD0kMUV

[Jeremy Dembowski @j_dembowski]

@darianrosebrook @dgambetta QAing and structuring components can get out of hand FAST 😅, especially dealing with nesting components. I'm curious about your process for testing with teams—are you mainly testing if the Figma component is usable/variants make sense, and that it works for their specific needs?

[Julie Zhuo @joulee]

Managing is designing.

Except instead of designing products, interfaces or services, you are designing how a group of people can create something more together than apart.

Which people are needed? Who should do what? How do folks collaborate?

These are design questions.

[Scott Berkun @berkun]

A leading cause of bad design is not the designer, but the design of the organization they work for.

From too many cooks, to conflicting priorities, to dysfunctional project teams, if good decisions are rare in a culture, good design decisions will be rare too.
#designmtw

[David Hoang @davidhoang]

It's okay as a leader to say "I don't know the answer" or "[person] knows more about this than I do." Your job as a leader is to build the team who knows the space and answers.

[Adam Amran @amrancz]

🚀 Today I'm launching https://t.co/MDqlj2SWZL

Untools is a curated collection of tools to help you solve problems, make decisions and understand systems.

👇 Check it out on @ProductHunt
https://t.co/jpZdq7xVrt

[Nathan A Curtis @nathanacurtis]

Design systems need strength in workflow design, customer engagement, decision making, reviews handoffs, and other process as much or more than people that can design or code the best button or modal.

[Garrett Miller @heyitsgarrett]

The most honest takeaway I have from building design systems is that there's no real magic here. Systems are just a reflection of your organization's ability to decide on a single answer across disparate groups.

Components are easy, collaboration is hard.

[Lisa Sy 🦋 @lisasy]

even if you work at a non-remote workplace, setting up good practices for strong remote work will only benefit your communication and culture anyway.

⭐️ clear docs
⭐️ intentional (over) communication
⭐️ defining structure and processes that allow for abundant autonomy

[Alex 🌚 @alexmuench]

Relates to life and work →

“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”
– Amy Poehler 🙏🏼

[rileythedesigner @rileyj_s]

Features are great but will leave you wanting more; the narrative is key, and will keep you sticking around no matter what.

[Jeremy Dembowski @j_dembowski]

@tannerc BuzzFeed — https://t.co/CmCzsJVKKR

[Davey Heuser @daveyheuser]

I wish more designers would focus on systems thinking without defaulting to using a Design System as an example. Design systems require systems thinking, but systems thinking doesn’t always result in a design system.

[Leisa Reichelt @leisa]

"Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context – a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan" - Eliel Saarinen

Which means you need to research the next larger context and not just 'your' thing.

[Sarah Federman @sarah_federman]

Reminder: Design systems work is largely mundane. It exists to help teams ship and maintain better products. Futuristic tooling work is not the bulk of what we do, and when it is the #1 priority is still to help teams ship better stuff.

[Alex 🇺🇦 @skougs]

Design systems: 80% outcomes 20% output.

[Faruk Ateş 💖 @FarukSpeaks]

@nzassenhaus @spindledesco Component style libraries → Shared resources
Standards → shared values
Documentation → shared language
Roadmap → shared destination
Communication strategy → shared understanding
Contribution → shared equity
Governance → shared execution

#Clarity2019

[Jeremy Dembowski @j_dembowski]

This is basically my catchphrase

[Ed Chao @edchao]

"A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works...A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system."

Remember this forever

[scott belsky @scottbelsky]

Big fan of designing a concept home/splash page for your product before you build the product. It is the first possible proxy for what every customer, investor, and employee will see, and a miraculous source of alignment for the team.