Product Design - Lead (Design Systems)

Design Systems Product Design Lead

A Day in the Life:

Strategic Vision and System Evolution:

• Lead the development and ongoing refinement of the design system, ensuring the highest standards of quality and consistency.
• Articulate the long-term vision for the design system and create a strategic roadmap, aligning with company goals and product strategies.
• Stay updated with industry trends and best practices to keep the design system current and innovative.

Design System Implementation and Measurement:

• Implement and manage metrics to measure adherence to the design system across all products.
• Develop and implement processes for review, implementation, and adherence to the design system as part of the product development and release process.
• Identify areas for improvement and work with product teams to ensure consistent application of the design system.

Collaboration and Team Enablement:

• Collaborate with a team of dedicated design system engineers to ensure design/build harmony and consistency between design and implementation.
• Partner with the user research team to gather insights and feedback on design system usability, using research findings to drive improvements.
• Develop and execute programs that empower the design team to support and contribute to the design system, fostering collaboration and shared ownership.
• Manage and mentor a small team of designers focused on the design system, providing guidance, support, and professional development opportunities.
• Work effectively with geographically distributed teams to ensure the design system's global consistency and relevance.

Tools, Processes, and Training:

• Design and implement tools and processes that facilitate seamless adoption and usage of the design system by designers.
• Continuously assess and improve these tools and processes to enhance efficiency and user satisfaction.
• Develop and deliver training programs and materials to educate teams on the benefits and usage of the design system, promoting its adoption across the organization.

Accessibility and Customer Impact:

• Advocate for and integrate accessibility standards within the design system to ensure products are inclusive and accessible to all users.
• Collaborate with accessibility experts to continuously improve the design system's accessibility features.
• Demonstrate measurable impact on customer-facing metrics through evolving and improving the design system.

What You Need:

• Proven experience in maintaining and evolving design systems in a product design environment.
• Strong understanding of accessibility standards and best practices.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills.
• Ability to develop and implement effective tools and processes for design system adoption.
• Experience working with user research teams to improve usability.
• Experience managing and mentoring design teams.
• Ability to work effectively with engineering teams to ensure design/build harmony.
• Experience with technical B2B, information-dense systems, suchs as those found in analytics, finance, etc.
• Proven success in increasing development speed and ease through process and tooling improvements.
• Demonstrated measurable impact on customer-facing metrics through evolving and improving the design system.
• Experience collaborating with geographically distributed teams.