Building a Scalable Figma Design System

To support scale, consistency, and faster delivery across digital products, I led the strategy and execution of a centralized Figma design system. The goal was to create a reusable, human-centered system that improved UX consistency, reduced design and development friction, and strengthened collaboration between design, product, and engineering teams. This work blended UX strategy, interaction design, and DesignOps, ensuring the system was both usable and operationally sustainable.

PROBLEM

As the organization grew, teams lacked a shared design system, resulting in inconsistent UI patterns, duplicated effort, and slower delivery. Designers and engineers were rebuilding common components across products, increasing risk to usability, accessibility, and brand consistency. Without standardized workflows or governance, scaling design quality became increasingly difficult—especially in an environment where clarity, accuracy, and consistency mattered.

I served as the UX and Design Systems lead, owning both strategic direction and hands-on implementation:

Creative Strategy

Design & Development

In-Market Optimization

Audited existing UI components and interaction patterns across products
Identified gaps impacting usability, accessibility, and development efficiency
Defined design principles aligned with UX best practices and business goals
Built a modular Figma component library, including typography, color, spacing, layout, and interaction patterns
Partnered closely with product managers and engineers to ensure feasibility and adoption
Created lightweight documentation and governance workflows to support long-term system health

This approach balanced structure with flexibility—giving teams guardrails without slowing creativity.

SOLUTION

Turning design chaos into a living, working system

The resulting design system functioned as a shared UX and operational foundation:

A reusable component library supporting common user flows and enterprise workflows
Standardized design tokens for color, typography, spacing, and grid systems
Embedded UX guidelines and usage rules to support accessibility and consistency
Clear contribution and governance processes for ongoing updates

Rather than a static asset, the system became a living tool integrated into daily design and development work.

OUTCOME

What Changed When Design Became Systematized

By operationalizing UX through systems thinking, the organization was able to scale without sacrificing quality.

Improved UX consistency across digital experiences

Reduced design and development time through reuse and standardization

Stronger cross-functional alignment between design, product, and engineering

Faster onboarding for new designers and contributors

A scalable foundation for future product growth

-40%

Reduced time to prototype by 40%

-75%

Reduced inconsistencies by 75%

-40%

Reduced development clarification requests by 40%

IMPACT

Why This Matters: Design Systems as Strategy, Not Just UI

This case study demonstrates my strength in design systems leadership, UX strategy, and creative operations—building the systems behind the experience. It highlights my ability to translate complex needs into structured, scalable solutions that support both real users and real teams, especially in environments where consistency, clarity, and trust are critical.