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Building Scalable Design Systems: Lessons from the Trenches

A deep dive into creating and maintaining design systems that scale across teams and products, with practical tips from real-world experience.

Design Systems Frontend Architecture UI/UX

Design systems have become essential for modern software development. After building and maintaining design systems at multiple companies, here are the key lessons I’ve learned.

Start with Principles, Not Components

The biggest mistake teams make is jumping straight into building components. Before writing any code, establish your design principles:

  • Consistency over customization: Every exception you allow becomes technical debt
  • Composition over complexity: Build small, focused components that combine well
  • Accessibility first: Bake a11y into components from day one

The Component Architecture That Works

After years of iteration, I’ve found this structure works best:

├── primitives/     # Basic building blocks (Box, Text, Flex)
├── components/     # UI components (Button, Input, Card)
├── patterns/       # Common combinations (Form, Modal, Navigation)
└── templates/      # Page-level layouts

Documentation Is Not Optional

Your design system is only as good as its documentation. Invest in:

  • Interactive examples with live code
  • Accessibility guidelines for each component
  • Migration guides for major versions
  • Contribution guidelines for the team

The best design systems are living documents that evolve with your product.