Foundations
What Is a Design System
Interconnected patterns and shared practices that serve a product's purpose
Key Insight
A design system is a set of interconnected patterns and shared practices coherently organized to serve the purpose of a digital product. Patterns are the repeating elements combined to create an interface (buttons, colors, typography, flows). Practices are how teams create, capture, share, and use those patterns. Unlike a component library, a design system captures the "why" behind decisions.
Key Points
- •Design systems combine patterns (reusable elements) with practices (how teams work with them)
- •Functional patterns define what users can do; perceptual patterns define how it feels
- •The product's purpose shapes which patterns are appropriate-dense data tools differ from reading-focused apps
- •A design system is living documentation, not a static artifact
- •Shared practices let systems scale across teams and time without losing coherence
Guidelines
- ✓Start with your product's purpose before defining patterns
- ✓Document reasoning behind patterns, not just specifications
- ✓Include both designers and developers in system creation
- ✓Plan for evolution-systems must grow with the product
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