Wanderly is a healthtech platform that offers jobs of different types to traveling nurses predominantly.
As it has scaled, the need for a mobile native application created a disconnect with the legacy software. A unified design system was needed.
CLIENT
Wanderly
ROLE
Design System Build
RESPONSIBILITIES
DESIGN, Product Owner
YEAR
2023
THE BRIEF
While creating our mobile native application, we needed to unify our legacy site to allow users to have a seamless experience from both use cases. This design system should align Product with Eng and Marketing.
I had prior experience working on design systems and lead the build out of this.
FOSTER COLLABORATION | ALIGN TEAMS | ENHANCE BRAND TRUST | IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY
These were our goals. Our metrics for success were solely based on this.
Prior to the update, Wanderly faced a significant challenge as the outdated documentation left many aspects open to interpretation, causing confusion among our product, brand, and engineering teams.
Due to the absence of a shared foundation encompassing process, design language, guidelines, and UI pattern libraries, each team encountered inefficiencies in their respective tasks. This would not only benefit the Wanderly brand, but also the five other verticals in our ecosystem.
The issue that I have always come across with design systems is how quickly they can bloat.
I may have an unpopular belief that a design system is a tool in how to remove friction from a conversation, it is not the end-all for decision-making.
To ensure the success of our design system project, I recognized the importance of getting stakeholders on board from the very beginning. I systematically promoted the initiative through various means, including:
Early Involvement of Engineering: I understood the significance of involving the engineering team in the process as they play a crucial role in implementing the design system. To achieve this, I organized weekly design system meetings and workshops where we actively sought their input and feedback. By doing so, I ensured that their perspectives and expertise were integrated into the design system's development.
Continuous Semantic Thinking: From the onset of the project and as it evolved, we developed the framework of this design system from the two projects that we were creating. As the projects grew larger, our process for developing a more robust system needed to be iterated on.
I knew that a design system is only useful if people, well, use it.
From the beginning I wanted to include all of our stakeholders. I wanted to hear what Dev thought about our language.
I wanted to ensure that we did not create such a broad system with multiple levels of alias' that it would be unmanageable over time.
Taking the time to include them all meant they had a voice in our discussions and yes it helped the buy-in but more importantly, it set the expectations that this design system is a team effort, even if I am the one building it.
THE OUTCOME
Maintaining comprehensive documentation is paramount, so we will cultivate processes and best practices for its upkeep. Ensuring that the documentation remains up to date and synchronized between design and code will minimize discrepancies and streamline implementation.
To encourage widespread adoption of the design system, we are committed to raising awareness across all teams and promoting active contribution to its development. Feedback from team members will be invaluable for refining the system and incorporating valuable insights from various perspectives.
Steven Pressfield
© JACKWILSONDESIGN
© 2024