Your design system was never about components
Google, Atlassian, and Figma provide files explaining design decisions. This development may impact design systems.
Original reporting · uxdesign.cc
Read “Your design system was never about components” at UX Collective →
How this was written. GDS wrote this article with a language model from UX Collective’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from UX Collective’s report
- Google, Atlassian, and Figma are shipping files explaining design decisions.
- These files do not enforce design consistency, but provide context for design choices.
- Major companies are working to create more transparent design systems.
Google, Atlassian, and Figma are now shipping files that outline the reasons behind their design choices.
According to UX Collective, these files do not automatically enforce design consistency, but rather provide context for design decisions.
UX Collective reported that companies like Google are taking this approach, which may change how design systems are understood.
The fact that major companies are providing these files suggests a shift in how design decisions are communicated and implemented.
By including the reasoning behind design choices, these companies may be working to create more transparent and consistent design systems.
However, UX Collective notes that nothing in these files actually requires the machine to follow the design guidelines.
This distinction is important, as it highlights the difference between providing design context and enforcing design consistency.
Overall, the move by Google, Atlassian, and Figma to provide design reasoning files may signal a new approach to design systems, one that prioritizes transparency and context over strict adherence to guidelines.
Questions and answers
What are Google, Atlassian, and Figma shipping?
Files that outline the reasons behind their design choices.
Do these files enforce design consistency?
No, they provide context for design decisions, but do not require the machine to follow the design guidelines.
