5 things that aren’t true about design systems

5 things that aren’t true about design systems @yaili Microsoft Reactor, Sydney, October 2019

Photo by Rick Mason on Unsplash

Photo by mlhradio on Flickr

Photo by Milivoj Kuhar on Unsplash

Untruth #1 “Everyone loves and understands our work.”

Untruth #1 “Everyone loves and understands our work.” “Some people hate us, and many don’t know what we’re trying to do.”

#1 “Everyone loves and understands our work.” “Material?”

#1 “Everyone loves and understands our work.” Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

#1 “Everyone loves and understands our work.” Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

Untruth #2 “Our documentation is always up to date.”

Untruth #2 “Our documentation is always up to date.” “We don’t always have time to document things.”

#2 “Our documentation is always up to date.” Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

#2 “Our documentation is always up to date.” Buster Keaton in “The General”, 1926. GIF from r/silentmoviegifs

#2 “Our documentation is always up to date.” Photo by Filip Bunkens on Unsplash

#2 “Our documentation is always up to date.” Usage Do • Keep the content of a card related to a • • • • • Example Usage Anatomy Developer guidance API single concept • Keep content inside cards aligned, even in cases where dividers extend to the edge of the card • Avoid scrolling inside cards; rely on scrolling of the parent container instead • Avoid placing a card on a background lighter than $neutral-2 Don’t N E M I C E P S • Place cards within cards • Include many calls to action within a single card • Use card to replace similar components, such as dialog

Untruth #3 “Everyone works together in harmony.”

Untruth #3 “Everyone works together in harmony.” “We block each other all the time.”

#3 “Everyone works together in harmony.”

#3 “Everyone works together in harmony.” Photo by Luke Brugger on Unsplash

Untruth #4 “No one ever needs custom components.”

Untruth #4 “No one ever needs custom components.” “Someone needs a custom component every day.”

#4 “No one ever needs custom components.” Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash

#4 “No one ever needs custom components.” Seinfeld, “The Soup Nazi”, 1995

#4 “No one ever needs custom components.” Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

#4 “No one ever needs custom components.” Photo by DorkyMum on Flickr

Untruth #5 “We validate everything.”

Untruth #5 “We validate everything.” “Most times we push to the system without testing.”

#5 “We validate everything.” Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash

#5 “We validate everything.” Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

#5 “We validate everything.” Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

#5 “We validate everything.” Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

(I’m nearly done!)

Thank you! @yaili, references bit.ly/reactor-sydney