Skip to main content
< Back to all work

Achieving design and development efficiency at scale

Many organizations have a style guide or pattern library, and some progress to collections of elements and components that can be repurposed as the organization shifts and grows. However, to truly accelerate the pace of innovation across an enterprise organization market leaders turn to design systems – adding a layer of structure and coherence that unleashes creativity at scale. Our client, a globally recognized company, brought us the challenge: help them mature a fledgling design system they could use across business units and apply to a continuous stream of new brand rollouts.
JUMP TO OUTCOMES
design system

Challenges

Repetitive effort
As part of a complex, multinational strategy, our client managed digital rollouts for new brands on an ongoing basis. While each brand shared some standards with the parent company, creating each new digital property still required a high degree of creative output.
Incurred risk
Working in a variety of markets, the organization faced steep compliance and accessibility risks – and incurred costly consequences with each error. Design and dev teams struggled to stay on top of rapidly changing requirements.
Taxed capacity
The volume of new products in the pipeline kept growing, but the organization’s internal design and dev teams were operating at max capacity. To continue to deliver within launch timelines, the company needed a scalable solution that could bring new brands to market faster.

Solutions 

Our client had starting points already for two design systems catering to different business units. We came alongside their teams to facilitate consistency and help them think through a common standard and vocabulary that the company could easily scale across the business – with a goal of increasing operational efficiency while reducing risks. 

Project goal

Streamline elements 

To facilitate consistency across brands and platforms, we analyzed existing digital properties and multiple sources of internal brand standards to develop a more consistent, streamlined approach to design components and code creation. 
Our solution
  • Standardized a library of UI components 
  • Created global UX guidelines 
  • Implemented code standards 
  • Facilitated consistency of component use across applications
  • Established documentation and implementation guidelines 
Project Goal

Accelerate workflows 

The company’s internal teams needed to do more in less time, so we worked to simplify workflows and bridge gaps between teams – making every effort more effective and every interaction more productive. 
Our solution
  • Simplified design and development processes
  • Provided a common language to enable clearer communication and faster coordination between teams
  • Established processes for iterative improvement 
  • Equipped teams to bring components to the page faster, reducing costs 
Project Goal

Manage accessibility 

In the face of steep accessibility fine costs, the volume of websites the company created each year represented a huge exposure to risk. Our team centralized UI, UX, and accessibility standards within the design system, so designers and developers could create fearlessly. 
Our solution
  • Conducted an in-depth accessibility audit 
  • Established an accessibility framework as a baseline standard from which teams could create and iterate freely 
  • Created a development library and code package to ensure quality and standardization 
  • Delivered a single source of truth for UI, UX, and accessibility 
  • Established parameters for compliance to enable quicker rollouts without increased risk 

 

Results

Once we implemented the design system, it quickly spread to other parts of the organization, compounding results. We continue to build and scale the system in a process of ongoing evolution so that it delivers consistency and value over time.  

40%
productivity boost for designers/developers
$2.5M
savings in first year
$25k
average savings per infraction due to mitigating accessibility risks

Impact

As the design system continues to expand across the business and pull in more and varied use cases and components, a committed team shepherds the evolution, proving the system’s scalability again and again – and delivering ongoing value to the organization. 

 

Speed to market 

 

Using the common language of a design system, internal teams quickly deliver stand-out websites for new brands while mitigating risk. Designers and developers work together – and with product owners and brand managers – more efficiently, and more effectively, with consistently accelerated results. 

Risk reduction 

 

In a field where the average cost of each accessibility or compliance error runs in excess of $25,000, having a centralized standard saves the organization untold legal and rework costs. The design system’s source of truth frees designers and developers to work more creatively and more quickly without fear of crossing costly lines.  

UX maturity  

 

While our client’s design system is at full maturity now, their process-driven approach and growth mindset helped to build a culture that encourages continual improvement – and helps them maintain UX maturity for the long-term. 

 

Take the first step   

If this design system case study piques your interest but you aren’t sure if that’s what you need or how best to approach the task, we can help. Our team of UX researchers, designers, and developers can help you assess your needs and suggest a path forward, whether you choose to adopt an off-the-shelf design system, adapt one to your brand, or build a completely custom framework.  

Get started >> 

Recent work

Ready to talk?

Let us know how we can help you out, and one of our experts will be in touch right away.