From fragmented to future-ready. Building a scalable design ecosystem
Design systems are more than just a library of buttons and styles—they’re the connective tissue that holds product experiences together.
This is the story of how we turned a complex, fragmented product landscape into a unified, scalable design ecosystem, improving user experience, reducing costs, and setting a foundation for growth.
As Head of Product Design at a global telematics provider, I led a multi-phase initiative to transform how we worked, shifting design from a reactive function to a strategic advantage. This post walks through the challenge, the approach, the solution, and what we learned along the way.
The Challenge: A product ecosystem without a shared language
Over the years, the company’s digital product suite had grown fast, but without a cohesive design strategy to guide it. What we ended up with was a collection of experiences that felt disjointed, both for users and the teams building them.
Here’s what we were dealing with:
Inconsistent designs across platforms, leading to user confusion.
No reusable components, meaning teams were often reinventing the wheel.
Long production cycles and duplicated effort across teams.
Rising maintenance costs from one-off design solutions.
A diluted brand presence, especially across global markets.
I continuously said this…
“The fragmentation across our products was creating both operational inefficiencies and user dissatisfaction.”
The approach: Three phases of transformation
We broke the work into three key phases, each one building on the last: Audit & Analysis, System Creation, and Training & Adoption.
Phase 1: Audit & Analysis
We began by mapping the landscape:
Reviewed every current design asset, component, and workflow.
Partnered with researchers to survey 100+ users and internal stakeholders.
Pinpointed where designs were diverging, and where that was creating risk or friction.
Identified inefficiencies in the design-to-dev handoff process.
This phase gave us clarity. It showed us not just where things were broken, but also where we had untapped potential to create something far more cohesive.
Phase 2: System Creation
With the data in hand, we set out to build a system that would support scale and creativity.
We designed a robust, flexible design system in Figma, which included:
Reusable UI components and pattern libraries.
Foundations for colour, typography, spacing, and layout.
Platform-specific guidelines for web, iOS, and Android.
WCAG-compliant components built with accessibility in mind.
Brand alignment to ensure a unified voice across B2B, B2C, and B2B2C products.
But we didn’t stop at design. We partnered closely with engineering to embed the system into dev workflows, ensuring design wasn’t just beautiful, it was buildable.
Phase 3: Training & Adoption
The best system in the world won’t matter if no one uses it. So we invested heavily in adoption:
Ran hands-on workshops for designers, developers, and PMs.
Created documentation in Zeroheight to serve as our single source of truth.
Encouraged contributions and feedback from across the team to foster ownership.
This wasn’t about dictating a new way of working. It was about inviting the team into something better, and making sure it actually supported their day-to-day needs.
The solution: A living system that scales
The result? A comprehensive design system that became the backbone of how we worked.
Key features included:
Reusable components that made building faster and more consistent.
Documentation that offered real-world examples and practical guidance.
Accessibility baked in, supporting inclusive experiences from the start.
Global scalability, with localization and modularity in mind.
Monitoring tools to track usage and identify areas for future improvement.
I now say…
“The design system is now the foundation for how we deliver. We’re moving faster, with more consistency, and our users are noticing.”
The impact: Real outcomes at scale
This wasn’t just a behind-the-scenes upgrade. It delivered measurable, high-value results:
25% faster time-to-market
Streamlined workflows sped up delivery cycles across all teams.18% improvement in customer satisfaction
Survey feedback showed clear appreciation for the improved, consistent experiences.£200,000 annual cost savings
Efficiency gains across design and dev led to significant savings.95% team satisfaction rate
Designers and engineers reported smoother collaboration and less friction.1 million+ users served
Unified experiences enhanced brand credibility and built user trust around the world.
Reflections and learnings:
Every big transformation comes with lessons, and this one was no different.
Here’s what stuck with me:
Collaboration isn’t optional. Design systems succeed when engineering, product, and design all contribute from day one.
Documentation matters. Good tools are only useful if people know how (and why) to use them.
Governance keeps things alive. A system isn’t “done”, it evolves with feedback, iteration, and care.
Structure + creativity is the sweet spot. Systems should guide, not restrict.
Empowerment is everything. When teams feel ownership, adoption follows naturally.
Looking ahead, we’re exploring how AI can help us monitor and optimize the system in real-time, surfacing component usage trends, suggesting design patterns, and identifying areas of design debt automatically. The goal is to keep the system alive and evolving, long after the initial build.
Final thoughts
For me, this project wasn’t just about building a library of reusable components. It was about helping a large, complex organization move toward clarity, consistency, and confidence in its design practices.
It was about proving that good design, when supported by systems and driven by collaboration, can deliver real, measurable impact.
And it was a reminder that design leadership means thinking bigger than any one screen or product. It’s about enabling others, connecting the dots, and setting the stage for great work to happen again and again.
If you're tackling something similar, or want to talk about scaling design systems and teams, I’d love to hear your story.
