It's weird how design systems are so rote, yet so difficult

design systems are infinitely appealing to well rounded dev teams.

and yet, they also feel like a mirage. the definition of 'done' is always out of reach, advocating and prioritizing effort feel insurmountable and there are more ways the system can go wrong than they can go right.

my personal preference (for resource constrained teams that need to make progress) is to define the monolithic vision, acknowledge that eventual but not yet consistent is a reality, document a path towards experimenting and graduating components into the design system and to make small but verifiable progress on each project for a year.

afterwards, measure the velocity to determine if acceleration is needed or not.

This article explores the challenges of investing in design systems. It discusses common issues like alignment within teams, poor scoping and planning, and the disconnect between design systems and brand strategy. The author argues that design systems are often misconstrued as monolithic concepts, rather than internal products with specific intended outcomes. The article provides a breakdown of what constitutes a design system (design system, component library, design tooling, engineering and product implementation) and emphasizes the importance of clear definitions and boundaries when investing in one.