Starting with the design system

Start with the design system to build on the research and experience of other service teams and avoid repeating work that's already been done.

Using the design system by role:

Designers

Developers

QA Testers

Start with the design system. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. The design system is the floor, not the ceiling. Start with it to save time building the common parts of a service, so that you can spend time on the unique challenges within your service context.

The value of starting with the design system components

The design system is your foundation for success and an incredible time-saver, allowing you to focus on high-value work. By starting with the design system, you can:

Streamline collaboration: Your developers can use the corresponding coded design system components.
Ensure accessibility: Accessibility is built into the components from both design and code.
Benefit from thorough testing: Components have been rigorously tested across various devices, browsers, and service contexts.
Maintain consistency: Components are coordinated with the rest of the system for a cohesive experience.

More time for other high value work

Leveraging what exists in the design system saves you time, enabling you to spend more time on other high-value tasks such as:

Usability testing
User research
Content design
Accessibility
Design integrity of the product
Low fidelity design and testing

Join design system drop in hours to get feedback on your service, propose new components or patterns, suggest changes to existing resources, ask questions, and give feedback to the design system. These sessions are for Government of Alberta product teams.
Book time in drop in hours