React Finland

To continue on React Finland 2019 sessions, this time we’ll cover design systems. Andrey Okonetchnikov and Varya Stepanova spoke about the topic. Andrey also held a workshop during the first day of the event.

Andrey Okonetchnikov  —  A Common Design Language. Let Designers and Developers talk to each other#

It is common in organizations to separate designers (the ones who design) from developers (the ones who implement the design). The split has led to different ways of working.

Designers think in terms of higher level design concepts (color, spacing, fonts, abstract forms) while developers think in terms of their domain (in web you think about CSS, HTML, and JavaScript for example).

Andrey’s talk was all about this split and how to deal with it. His proposal is to improve communication between the “factions” through component driven development and using a design system as a common language to bridge the gap.

• To hear Andrey’s thoughts on the topic, go to 21:09 at the podcast.
• Online slides
• pdf slides

Varya Stepanova  —  A practical guide to building your design system infrastructure#

Assuming you are ready to develop your design system now, how to get started?

Although you could pick up a solution like Styleguidist like Storybook, there’s more to the topic. That’s where Varya Stepanova’s talk comes in.

• To hear Varya’s thoughts on the topic, go to 35:52 at the podcast.
• Online slides
• pdf slides

Conclusion#

For me, it feels like the time has come for design systems to go mainstream in web development. The technical solutions are getting more mature and people are starting to get a better hang of the approach and the value it provides.

I think the greatest value is in improving communication between different stakeholders and that alone is a big step ahead for reducing waste in development.