A roadmap for scaling your design system
Getting the design system buy-in
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This is part 2. Read part 1: "Design Systems Explained Simply"
Here's the thing about design systems: They (usually) start with one person. One designer or developer who looks at the chaos around them and thinks: "I can fix this."
They're usually wrong. At first.
Because fixing chaos? That's not a solo act. It takes a committed team.
You find collaboration gaps, inefficient handoff processes, and communication barriers during the process. That's why it's crucial to upgrade these processes together.
But let me tell you what doesn't work:
Moving fast and breaking things
Copying other companies' systems like a desperate intern trying to impress their boss
Making decisions based on feelings
Stitching together components
Trust me, I've seen this story before. It ends with tears, therapy, and a UI that looks like it was designed by a committee of angry cats. 😹
Let’s go step by step
👥 DISCOVERY
The first step is doing your homework. We need to understand the needs of all stakeholders: designers, developers, marketers, and end-users. Referring back to the cake analogy from part 1 - what kind of cake do they want to eat?
You need to know your people. All of them:
The designers
The developers
The marketers
Specialists (UX, Writers, Accessibility experts, etc)
PMs, Stakeholders
And you need to know their pain. Their real pain. Not the surface-level "our buttons aren't consistent" pain.
🎯 THE DESIGN AUDIT
This is where it gets real. It includes:
A comprehensive review of existing design assets
Screen recording and screenshots of every flow
Documentation of design and functionality gaps
Analysis of current inconsistencies
💬 THE CONVERSATIONS
Ask maaaaany questions:
"What's broken in our process?"
"How much money are we wasting?"
"Why are we doing it this way?"
"Who's going to maintain this?"
Because here's the thing about questions: They lead to uncomfortable truths. And uncomfortable truths? They lead to change.
🔗 Need more ideas for questions? I created a playbook.
💎 PROOF OF VALUE
Start small. Choose 3-5 components and play with different workflows.
Re-architect components
Make the list of all components (I use Airtable)
Discuss naming structures
Tokens Studio plugin (connect to Gitlab, GitHub, etc.)
Design Tokens Manager → manually exporting JSON
Figma Variables
That's your MVP. Your minimum viable product.
And then? You test it. You put it in front of real people doing real work. And you listen. Really listen.
↗️ SCALING
Just when you think you've got it all figured out, that's when the real work begins.
Scaling isn't about building more. It's about building right:
Creating patterns, templates
Automating the soul-crushing tasks
Building themes that adapt
Teaching others
🚨 Important: Don't rush to scale. Wait for MVP feedback and learn from it first.
💰THE METRICS
When people ask for proof (and they will), you show them:
Hours saved (cold, hard numbers)
Adoption rates (the truth of your impact)
Team satisfaction before/after
Projected money savings
🎭 The Stakeholder Presentation
Contrary to popular belief, getting buy-in isn't about presentations - it's about demonstrating tangible value. Show them your MVP.
Here's how to make it count:
Start with Impact
Don't open with process - open with results
Show the before and after
Lead with the strongest metrics (business value)
Make it Real
Demonstrate components from your MVP
Show time savings (*ideally*)
Share feedback from team members
Present specific examples of problems solved
Connect to Business Goals
🔗 I always use Design System Strategy Map to make everything concise.
Tie your metrics to company OKRs
Show how the design system supports broader initiatives
Demonstrate ROI in clear, concrete terms
Don't get caught up in measuring everything (it is not possible, especially at the star). Even incremental progress toward better design practices can make a huge difference over time.
Present the Path Forward
Share your scaling strategy
Outline resource needs
Show clear next steps and milestones
Use what works, skip what doesn't. Success comes from continuously demonstrating value, listening to feedback, and making incremental improvements.
The key is staying flexible and responsive to your organization's specific needs while maintaining a clear direction forward.
Let’s go 🚀
Next week I will show you how I organize Figma files, libraries, plugins, etc. ☺️
💎 Community Gems
Variable Visualizer
Mr.Biscuit + Marcin Śpiewak
🔗 Link
🎥 Bridging the Gap: What Are Design Systems?
by Figma
🔗 Link
Creating successful Design System OKRs that drive adoption
Lewis Healey
🔗 Link
Loose thoughts: Staging component libraries
Luis Ouriach
🔗 Link
❤️ People to follow
This week, I would like to introduce you to Mr.Biscuit. Well, his real name is actually Shuaiqi Sun. He is the mastermind behind sooooo many Figma plugins. Check his portfolio of helpful tools, Figma files and UI kits here.
🙋♀️🙋🏽♂️ Questions from the community
If you have any questions, email me or add them to the comment below. 🙌