75% of users judge a company's credibility by the appearance of its website, according to a Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab study conducted several years ago.
Moreover, 85% of entrepreneurs check other companies' websites before using their services. So we can see how vital the website's graphic design is: the prettier and more user-friendly, the more significant the advantage over the competition.
However, in practice, preparing a good design is not so easy. This is well illustrated by UXPin's Enterprise UX Industry report, from which we learn that maintaining design consistency is the biggest challenge that, among others, web development companies face.
This is only a fraction of the problems, as there are also difficulties related to cooperation between teams and work requirements.
Troubles are beginning already with a team of more than twenty-five people. And the most challenging situation arises when the number of programmers exceeds the number of designers.
Benefits of a Design System for your company
We can prevent all these problems by implementing a Design System in our company. We should realize that it's worth it to use it.
I. Better UX and UI
The first advantage of the Design System is that it has proven and tested components in its base that can be applied to any project.
This kind of scaling translates into a better user experience, user interface, and faster product development.
I should add that the Design System will cover all units – developers, designers, and product managers alike.
II. The knowledge base, saving time and money
This means that individual teams can share knowledge that will transfer to the Design System, resulting in consistency. The system is not a one-off product and is constantly expanding. Such a System, which employees regularly update, makes them more efficient. Drew Loomer, an architect at project202, says that using it saves more than 20% of a programmer's time. "If you have 100 programmers, it could mean savings of $2 million a year," he argues.
III. Focus on innovation
Companies that don't use a Design System face the problem of choosing between different elements, such as button type or color. Meanwhile, thanks to the System's ready-made components, we save ourselves this trouble and let the teams focus on new and innovative solutions. This is another of the benefits of using the Design System.
IV. More effective and precise work
The Design System organizes the work by providing basic guidelines and interface elements. It provides standardization, ensuring that employees follow a uniform pattern. This prevents a situation where, for example, one of them uses a given typeface while the other chooses a different one. Graphic designers are provided with a set of specific elements and guidelines that make their work more predictable and efficient.
V. Consistent product development
The Design System is a comprehensive solution, including basic guidelines, interface elements, and source code. We should also remember the possibility of combining it with elements of branding and visual identity, language, communication, vision, etc. This means that by using the Design System, we ensure that we create a digital product that is consistent in every way, which users will appreciate.
VI. More effective management of changes
Since a digital product is constantly changing, controlling those changes is difficult. The project becomes less and less uniform over time, which is why the Design System's standardization is so important – it will clearly define the rules for creating an interface, as well as streamline work between teams, resulting in the aforementioned lower expenses and time savings.
Title photo: Pixabay.com
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