Andy Schultz’s Post

How many designers do you allocate as dedicated to a design system team? In my experience in working with ~80 design systems over the past 15 years, I've found a pretty reliable rule of thumb: designer capacity roughly correlates nonlinearly with the number of designers in the organization. How does this visualized relationship hold up in your organization?

Has any designer ever said that? Because I actually do! 3 moments in my career where I loved seeing engineers design: 1. 🖼️ I give engineers paper and pens – or a whiteboard. No engineer needs to be Picasso (believe me, some have hidden talents!), but everyone can draw arrows and boxes. I let them brainstorm new features and solutions with me. 2. 📱 "Hey Tabea, thank you for working on that new screen, but you know, technically, it would also be possible to do it like this; what do you think? Would that work better and look good?" This was an engineer making a suggestion. I love it when engineers see creative possibilities designers might not have heard of. 3. 🤹♂️ I play improv theater with the engineers to understand a user journey. Everyone participates and sees the pain points and user needs directly in front of them. Also, it's fun! Now, what do you think? What, how, and when should engineers design? Thank you, Tom Scott, for inspiring me to this post last week with your opening statement, "I love designers that code"!

If you are a designer chances are you have worked somewhere and a stakeholder had declared something like "I alone can fix it" or "3 engineers in a garage can fix this in a weekend". Of course this never works, but it doesn't mean they'll stop trying. Here are some strategies you can use to get the objective perspectives that you desperately need in the room with you: https://lnkd.in/ge5heB5m

Great Example of the Importance of the User Interface [posted previously, without the video] When aesthetic design interferes with operational efficiency. The designer clearly didn't understand the purpose. This could apply to Application Developers designing a user interface, Architectural Engineers designing a new building, and many more scenarios. Always keep the needed functionality in mind and work the problem backwards so you don't miss the end goal.

Design Systems as a Journey, Not a Destination When I first started working with design systems, I felt the pressure to have everything polished and ready from the get-go. But the more I worked with them, the clearer it became: design systems are not a one-and-done project. They evolve, flex, and grow along with the needs of the product and the team. 🎨✨ Think of it as an ecosystem—start small, prioritize what’s essential, and build as you go. Every component, color, or pattern is an opportunity to refine and align with the team's goals. The beauty of design systems is that they don’t need to be perfect from the start. Progress is part of the process. To all designers just getting started: take it one step at a time! Remember, iteration is where the magic happens.

I have a love/hate relationship with this part of design. I love design systems. I love creating them. Figuring out the components' structure. Variants, variables, component options... I'm a nerd when it comes to it. I believe every designer should design at least one design system. It changes how you think about design in some way. You can fully grasp what atomic design is all about. And use it in practice. But I have an inner struggle. I love design systems but I hate using them. Especially when it comes to product design. You already get so many technical constraints, and in addition to that, you get constrained by the design system you're using. Being a designer in that situation can feel like you just move boxes. Do you relate, or am I overthinking? P.S. To get my creative juices flowing, I always do something creative on the side. ✌️

Designers need to remember that you’re not always the one presenting your designs. A PM might be showing them to their executive crew or an account manager might be walking a user/client through your ideas. So… in this case, it’s our job to make sure stakeholders can’t get lost in your designs. You probably work with lots of non-tech or non-designer folks—making it easier for them to understand our work helps make design better as a discipline. When everyone understands design, you have an easier time getting your ideas out there. Part of our job is making sure we clearly communicate what our designs mean—the intent behind them. Losing sight of this is an easy way to make sure your ideas aren’t clearly communicated. 📝

One of the things I've seen over and over again is that our job as designers, no matter what kind, is to transform complex or vague ideas into simple, straightforward solutions. Easy, right? Not really. This is actually the thing that makes good design stand out. And for that matter, a good designer. But what makes a good designer? Loads of practice and honing that special "sense" you can't quite define. Making something simple and maintainable is actually harder than adding complexity. There’s unappreciated skill in making simple things. What I'm getting at is that it's a natural process of becoming that good designer and it usually looks like a bell curve.

Ever feel like this when you listen to all the client design decisions? As designers, it's our responsibility to not only bring our clients' visions to life but also to educate them on what works best in the design world. Sometimes, that means gently steering them away from decisions that may not translate well into reality. Designers, how have you gracefully handled challenging client requests? Share your stories below, Let's help each other

Designers make sure you're leaving room at the table for your engineers to weigh in on your designs. It doesn't always have to be engineers code, designers design. In my experience they tackle problems and challenges in unique ways and often see edge cases that can easily get missed. They have a deep understanding of how everything works and connects together, that information is priceless and you should try to tap in to it! Loop them into the design process early, like at the napkin sketch phase. Plus, it's a good way to establish and create good relationships. Win/win. Now all that said, it's probably okay if they don't want you in their code. 😆 #uxdesign #productdesign