Streamlining product design with design systems: An evaluation of benefits and challenges in a public administration service
Konttinen, Helen (2024)
2024
Master's Programme in Human-Technology Interaction
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2024-06-11
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202406036635
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202406036635
Tiivistelmä
A growing number of businesses are utilizing design systems to aid in the management of guidelines, components, patterns, and documentation of the user interface (UI). Larger corporations with outstanding, scalable, and adaptable design systems—like Google, Atlassian, Spotify, and IBM—are leading the way, and many others are attempting to follow their lead by creating their design systems. Design systems are not only popular because they offer a component library to store all UI components, and a pattern library to explain how to utilize the components in UI design and help with brand identity. Design systems also serve the purpose of uniting the whole project team to work for a common goal and help them communicate with each other through a shared language – a single source of truth.
The following are just a few of the many advantages of design systems: a unified UI, improved teamwork and communication, more effective workflows, and code and design reuse. But it's also important to be aware of the potential drawbacks of design systems, such as maintenance concerns, inflexibility, and getting people to use the system. It's crucial to get the last one right from the start as it's sometimes the hardest to avoid. It really doesn't matter how elegant and welldesigned your user interface is if you can't make people use your design system.
However, it's important to consider whether the design system is the best fit for your project or product before following the latest trend. The most crucial issue to consider is whether your business has the resources necessary to develop and manage the design system. A design system needs a committed team to continue working on enhancements long after it is introduced. It is never a one-and-done project. The best course of action is to assemble a group of experts in various fields to collect opinions, suggestions, and a deeper comprehension of how the design system impacts each person's job.
The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the benefits and challenges of adopting a design system for a stand-alone product and to compare them to the benefits and challenges mentioned in the literature. In this thesis, I will look at a design system made for a Finnish public administration services information system. I will evaluate the benefits it provides to the project as well as look at the challenges that came with adopting this design system.
The following are just a few of the many advantages of design systems: a unified UI, improved teamwork and communication, more effective workflows, and code and design reuse. But it's also important to be aware of the potential drawbacks of design systems, such as maintenance concerns, inflexibility, and getting people to use the system. It's crucial to get the last one right from the start as it's sometimes the hardest to avoid. It really doesn't matter how elegant and welldesigned your user interface is if you can't make people use your design system.
However, it's important to consider whether the design system is the best fit for your project or product before following the latest trend. The most crucial issue to consider is whether your business has the resources necessary to develop and manage the design system. A design system needs a committed team to continue working on enhancements long after it is introduced. It is never a one-and-done project. The best course of action is to assemble a group of experts in various fields to collect opinions, suggestions, and a deeper comprehension of how the design system impacts each person's job.
The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the benefits and challenges of adopting a design system for a stand-alone product and to compare them to the benefits and challenges mentioned in the literature. In this thesis, I will look at a design system made for a Finnish public administration services information system. I will evaluate the benefits it provides to the project as well as look at the challenges that came with adopting this design system.