5 steps to convince your stakeholders you need a Design System
Design systems changed the game of design, and it is no wonder designers dream of having this structured foundation in the company they’re working for. We went from struggling to adjust each and every screen, helplessly trying to maintain consistency, to updating a component that changes everything across our design. There are no more random numbers, inconsistency due to designers doing their own thing, and no more confused software developers on what and how they should build.
However, as much as we understand the benefits, creating a design system is not yet common practice for many companies, especially smaller ones. The reason is usually a lack of time for the designer(s) to spend on it when there are other pressing tasks. And also the lack of time from the development team, who would have to rewrite a lot of code to implement it.
Another case are startups that need to build an MVP as soon as possible to get funding. Therefore no one cares about design systems under pressure. The last perspective is from the stakeholders, who usually don’t see the need and profit from it.
- Why do you want the design system?
Before going forward with how to approach the design system conversation in your company, I would suggest stopping for a second. Does it bring value, or is it just the fear of missing out on the latest Design trend? Design system has had their fair share of advertisement across Youtube or Design conferences, but you need to decide first if it’s the right moment or tool for you, your team, or your company.
A potential false reason to do a design system can be the desire to do what other designers are doing, to fight an imposter syndrome, or to hop on the trend. The vital thing to remember here is that there are always going to be things that other designers are doing that you didn’t get a chance to do. That might be impossible to put yourself through as the industry constantly evolves. Not even years of experience can guarantee you that. In this case, the solution is to relax and enjoy your path.
Another answer might be that you want to do a design system out of pure curiosity. This is great, don’t get me wrong, but it shouldn’t cost a company time and resources to fulfill it. Bearing this in mind, you might choose to do it on a personal project. This way, you get to feed your interest, and you’ll gain experience and learn from it.
On the other hand, if you genuinely think a design system will bring value, help your team be more productive, and streamline the design process, then keep on reading.
2. What value is it going to bring?
If you’re still curious and reading this, it means you see true value in a design system at this point. Let’s dive deeper into that and ensure we do our homework before pitching it. First, make a list including all the ways the design system will help the company. Here are a few that came to my mind when I did this exercise:
- It will speed up the design process
- It will speed up the engineering product implementation.
- It would eliminate inconsistencies in the design.
- Make it easier for existing and future designers to contribute.
- Using repeating elements from the design system would free up time for ux research.
Keep on writing until there is nothing else that comes to your mind. You might end up with a shorter list or a longer one, it doesn’t really matter. The most important thing is making sure they make sense for the company you are designing for. The goal of this exercise is to answer the question above “What value is it going to bring?”. Therefore, leaving you with a list of compelling arguments to use while pitching your idea of a design system. Getting a company to invest time, resources, and, consequently, money into creating a design system means it has to bring a lot of value. This is what really matters to the stakeholders. Because in the end they are responsible for prioritizing the projects that grow the company.
On the other hand, you might realize for yourself during this exercise that this is not the right time or that it might overcomplicate things at this point. If this is not the case and you are happy with your reasons, then you can move forward in proposing it to others in the company. The “Why?” question will surely get brought up, as it always does, so this way, you will have all the arguments under your belt.
3. Find allies
Now that you have your why-s, the next step would be finding allies who believe in this as well. How do you do that? Start talking to your colleagues during lunch break or near the coffee machine, and figure out who is also interested in this idea. If you’ve already found those people, that’s great news. Keep discussing the subject with them to find out their thoughts about it and how they would proceed.
There will always be people who are not as excited about it, which is ok. Just mention the benefits they could get from it and let that sink in. Some people need more time to adjust to changes, even if they are good. Sometimes the people who are more reserved at the beginning become your biggest supporters once you gain their trust.
It’s also important to get people from other departments by your side. It’s also essential to be aware of what is relevant to the person you’re talking to. If you’re trying to convince a business-oriented stakeholder, he’s probably not interested in technical details. Instead, focus on the company’s benefits and the overall idea of how it would work.
When talking to a developer, you could mention the perks of not having to do custom code every time but instead reuse elements and have clarity in design conventions. The support from the engineers is crucial as they are the ones who are actually implementing it. Most importantly is, of course, to find at least one engineer who is going to be as excited as you to implement the design system. If it just looks pretty in Figma it is not an actual design system.
4. Prepare visual examples to back up your arguments.
To illustrate the concept, you can use previous projects or, if this is not possible, you can always find a small community project or an existing, well-structured, and public Design system (such as Uber, Shopify etc). Use it to simulate what it would look like to design with it. A visual representation will make much more sense for those who might have never heard of a design system, or think it is something trendy, not understanding it’s true value.
I did a representation like this and recorded it, the stakeholders were amazed. They saw not only the speed to create new screens, but also they started generating ideas on how they could use it to sketch something quickly. Having the engineer allie to point out how it could also help during the implementation stage is just going to sell it faster.
If you go through the process above and it makes sense for the company, then having the rest of the team and the stakeholders on board won’t be hard. But, even if you realize that it is not feasible right now, I would still suggest to bring it up, because the product owners could plan the product development in a way that would incorporate the design system.
5. Plant the idea. Wait. Remind. Repeat
You got everyone on-board? Congratulations, but bear in mind that the journey has just started. Even if everyone is in love with the idea, don’t expect that peers would just leave their tasks and start working on it right away. There might take some time to hire maybe a few colleagues to help with the implementation or to make space in the product board. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t start moving fast. You’ve planted the idea, and each time there is going to be a problem caused by the lack of the design system, it’s going to ring a bell for the solution you proposed.
Sometimes only after facing pressing and annoying problems tasks are prioritized over others. It is not a fight where you are against the whole company. It is about finding together the best way to improve and make the process more efficient.
