Here’s What I Learned about Design Debt

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If you add features on a product without a designer in the room, you’ll most likely add design debt to your product. It was our case.

Debt can accumulate in various forms, technical and design debt are the most popular, but I’m sure GAFAs also have a legal debt to work on, especially when you scale at a fast pace.

It was our case. The need for moving fast overcame to need of design work. I’ve joined the product team in this specific context.

At first glance, you can see there’s no designer around, so you want to do a quick win: refactoring UI. We’ve done it, but I’ve learned in the process that starting with redesigning can have some upside (thinking systems, being proud of what the product looks and feels, …) but some downside for the long run.

If I had to redo it, I would focus more on people, insights, and principles.

People over process

I love thinking about operations in systems. But there’s a strong influence that can hack those cold and computed process: humans.

Humans with needs, mental models, culture.

Before standardizing, I should take into considerations which are gravitating around the product. They could give me insights on how they already work, specificities around differents personalities and skillsets.

There’s no one-fits-all model when it comes to human collaboration, which is in the DNA of design work.

Insights over intuition

Starting by refactoring the UI, isn’t a quick win but a feel right decision.

Nobody says, “wow, I can feel there’s well-managed user research for this product.”

The product design crystallizes itself mainly on the user interface.

But if you start to refactor the UI like an artist, you will patch your design debt at the moment but inevitably have to spend a lot of time iterating downhill, because you won’t meet your user expectation, mental model and overall need.

Also, as we talked about people — starting by doing “just enough research” at the beginning seems like a good idea teaches on best UX practices.

Principles over systems

I’m sure the “design system” is the most search thing in design porn websites.

And I’ve got to say; I’m a little bit hooked too.

The promise to scale, or even automate design work, is appealing to me, but like a lot of things in a design, you can fall in love, and you want to burn the steps.

Design systems can’t be your priority when redesigning or reskinning a product. UI is too unstable for the moment.

But it’s the right time to think about your foundation, with your stakeholder, during a workshop. It will result in determining design principles that you should follow across every template, composants, atoms of your product.

Consistency in design principles then consistency in design language. Principles over systems.