Decision Automation Techniques from Design Systems
Design systems are a crucial component of modern digital product development, providing a unified set of guidelines and components to ensure consistency and efficiency. An often overlooked aspect of design systems is how they encode decision-making. While there is ample discussion about how to structure and organize components (e.g., versioning, atoms, libraries), I see less attention given to why certain decisions are codified at different levels of a UI component’s structure.
Consider a form field component. Are variations allowed at the label level, or the font size level? Both? What kinds of variations are or are not allowed? Can the form field only exist as part of a larger form, or can it stand alone? These are the kinds of questions that help determine which decisions are codified — that is, automated — and which decisions are left to the discretion of the individual designer employing the design system’s assets.
Automating certain decisions can be beneficial, enabling faster page creation and streamlining mockup or prototype creation. However, it can also hinder problem-solving when the constraints built into the system fail to account for unique or unforeseen situations. Achieving appropriate flexibility to account for a broad array of design requirements while maintaining brand and visual consistency requires careful…
