More important than building a design system is encouraging everyone to use it.

You can create the best design system in the world, but if you don’t actively promote it in your organization, the entire effort will suffer greatly.

Every team member should use the design system on a regular basis. In doing so, team members will learn to solve problems systematically, not individually. Communication plays a key role in this process. Invest in creating a culture of communication early in the process, because it will increase the likelihood of adoption of the design system.

Similar to any other product you design, you need to find the answer to the following question: Who will use your design system, and how will they use it? Conduct research to find the answer to this question.

Many design systems suffer from the same problem: Team members create components that are too focused on a single use case. As a result, the system becomes too inflexible, and its users (designers and developers) have to create their own components each time they need to cover a particular scenario.

A successful design system is highly reusable.

Every time you want to introduce a new component, consider how it will work on the various platforms you are designing for. Ideally, every component you design should work on all platforms.

Some product teams believe that once a design system is built, the work is complete. Not true. A design system is a product, and it’s vital to manage it as a product instead of a project — a designs system requires ongoing maintenance and improvements as needs arise.

Incorporating a system into a design culture takes a lot of time

it’s a gradual process. And the way you manage the design system plays a vital role in its adoption. A successful design system needs to become part of the organization’s DNA, helping your team produce more consistent user experiences, building bridges between design and development, and improving your design process without exposing your orgchart.