Michael Costanzo

A Playbook For Scaling Design Systems

In this interactive workshop, Michael delves into the heart of modern digital product development - Design Systems. You'll gain hands-on experience in creating and refining Design Systems that can transform your organisation's product development process. Collaborative Learning and Project Work: You'll be grouped into teams to work on a project involving the creation of a Design System. This could be for a hypothetical product or an improvement to your existing system. This approach fosters collaboration and provides a realistic, hands-on experience of how Design Systems function within a team setting. Cross-Disciplinary Pattern-Driven Workflow: Michael will discuss and demonstrate how to establish a workflow that integrates various disciplines and revolves around pattern-driven principles. This ensures that the Design System is comprehensive, cohesive, and caters to all aspects of the product development process. Building a Robust Component Library and Reference Website: You'll learn how to create a robust component library that serves as the backbone of your Design System. Additionally, Michael will guide you through setting up a reference website that effectively documents and showcases the Design System. Maintaining a Design System for Lasting Value: A Design System is not a one-time project but an ongoing commitment. You'll tackle strategies on how to maintain, update, and evolve the Design System so that it continues to provide lasting value to the team and organisation. You'll incorporate accessibility standards and legal requirements into your Design System project. This practical application will deepen your understanding of how to make digital products more inclusive and compliant. By the end of this workshop, you'll have a solid foundation on how to plan, execute, maintain, and improve a successful Design System at your organisation, and you'll walk away with practical knowledge and strategies that you can immediately apply to your work.