[The Speakers] We love Design Systems!
The #ReplyXchange18 is over: London, Munich and Milan have been on fire with 4 days of tech and innovation!🔥
The Xchange is our annual event where we present the state-of-the-art tech, while trying to imagine the future of Automation, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Digital Experience, Intelligent Products & Services and Internet of Things… in other words, 4 days (in 3 different countries) all dedicated to innovation with more than 4,000+ participants and 140+ speeches by 250+ speakers!
And all following our knowledge sharing way of thinking, from Replyer to Replyer! ;)
But how does it feel to be a speaker at the Xchange and how can you become one? In the last days we listened to the experiences of different speakers from the 4 Xchanges:
- Shyam gave us a look to the future of shopping and automation
- Nico told us his precious tips about building a platform for connected cars
- Marco and Andrea introduce us to the astonishing power of Quantum Computing
- Julie explained how to create an engaging communication campaign
- Jacopo and Chiara showed us their smart chatbot
- Laura, Valerio and Fabio highlighted the importance of 3D contents on Web.
Now it’s time to get some knowledge from a special trio of speakers at the Xchange in Milan: Serena, Paola and Lucia from Bitmama! 😄
Hello Serena, Paola and Lucia! Introduce yourself ✌️
[Serena] I’m a front end developer in Bitmama, a creative agency in Reply. I’ve been working here for the last 3 years and on my daily job I code web application, but also discuss with UI and UX the best solution for a product.
[Paola] Hi, I’m an enthusiastic Senior User Interfaces designer & digital art director and I’m working in Bitmama. I am passionately creative, quality driven and motivated to create the best design solution. Combined with an in-depth approach to research and analysis, I am able to focus on the target audience and engage the design in a way that meets the brief with innovative and interactive content.
[Lucia] I’m a User Experience Designer working with Serena and Paola in Bitmama, Reply. I arrived in Bitmama for an Internship about 5 years ago, time flyes! 😉 Now, as a Senior UX Designer I spend my days investigating deep user needs and expectations, trying to design the best solutions for them.
You had a speech at the Xchange in Milan about design systems: tell us more!
A design system is composed by UI elements, principles, styles guides, interactions, component libraries and their use case. But it’s also the way the team works.
The starting point is multi-disciplinary collaboration: getting everyone involved from day one.
It may be a change in process, but it’s also a change in thinking.
How did you get to know design systems first?
Having been working for a while on digital products, we were facing some problems connected to the management, the maintenance and the scalability of projects. We searched for solutions studying how this problems were approached by lead brands and designers. We found that building design systems could solve that situations, satisfying both business and users needs.
Which challenges have you found while building your speech?
The challenge for the Xchange speech is to be as brief as possible, but also as clear as possible! Reply is a big company and, yes, we are all in the technology field but we knew that many people in the room could know little of design and UX. So we wanted to make our speech crystal clear, dynamic and memorable. Starting from the abstract proposal to the preparation of the slides.
How did Reply support your research?
We had a couple of very big opportunities: the first was the DSCONF in Helsinki, where we met incredible human beings from the biggest tech companies, really inspiring (even if it was March and we were literally freezing 😱).
The second was the internal Bootcamp about design system that we hosted for our colleagues and that gave us the opportunities of seeing how people in Reply respond to this subject.
Super! Now, 5 key facts we can’t miss on design systems!
1⃣ DDs helps brand in managing projects and their scalability
2⃣ Also teams find benefits from design systems: avoiding maintenance nightmares, enhancing knowledge sharing and boosting production!
3⃣ People are the core of design system: the passion they bring to the table will make the difference in the quality of the product
4⃣ Establish shared processes and governance because: “Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.“ (Massimo Vignelli)
5⃣ You do not know it yet, but you interact with design system every day! Have a look to the Airbnb experience! 👈
How do you see the future of design systems?
Ds will change the digital identity of a brand, giving it more coherence and allowing a more focused work for the designer. Having rules and components will move the focus to the functionalities, instead of the little details in design.
A design system is based on the sharing of information and knowledge. This allows you to achieve the goals required by the business and the brand!
As a student, how can I know more on this?
Design System has grown so much abroad: every big company has created a ds. To know more:
👉Approach
👉 Handbook
👉 Learn from the big
Let’s finish with a simple question: why a student should join Reply? 😄
Reply can help your growth by giving you the opportunities to realize your aspirations. It allows you to participate in innovative projects and explore and develop new solutions revolutionizing the classic schemes.
Enjoy Reply!
