How to get your design system under control

A design system is a crucial tool for enhancing efficiency and user experience, but maintaining it can be challenging due to inevitable "design system drift," which occurs when deviations accumulate and go unaddressed. This drift can undermine user trust and slow down teams as they manage multiple variations. To combat this, the process begins with securing organizational buy-in by demonstrating how a robust design system accelerates development, fosters user trust, improves usability, and enhances accessibility. Conducting a thorough audit of the current system allows teams to identify inconsistencies and prioritize changes based on impact and cost. The redesign process involves consolidating components to minimize variance while accommodating current and future needs, followed by rigorous testing of new designs. Documentation is essential for maintaining consistency and preventing future drift, requiring a dual system in Figma and live code. Regular design reviews and integrating component upgrades into project scopes can help keep the system updated and address design debt over time.