How I Designed and Built a Scalable Design System for My Mobile iOS App
Today, I accomplished something that feels amazing—a milestone I’ve never reached before as a UX Designer. I created a design system for my mobile iOS app project. This wasn’t just another step in the process; it was a deep dive into a complex, detail-oriented task that tested my skills, resourcefulness, and determination.
The Challenge
When I first set out to create the design system, I wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed. The sheer scope of what I needed to accomplish—defining color palettes, typography, component libraries, and usage guidelines—felt overwhelming at times. But rather than letting uncertainty hold me back, I leaned into the challenge.
I turned to LinkedIn Learning and YouTube to guide me through the journey. They became my virtual mentors, providing answers to my questions and showing me the way forward. Step by step, I pieced together the elements of the design system, learning as I went.
What Is a Design System?
For those unfamiliar, a design system is much more than a collection of colors and fonts. It’s the blueprint for a product’s visual and functional identity. It ensures consistency, efficiency, and collaboration between designers and developers.
My mobile iOS app project design system includes:
Color Options and Usage: A curated palette with clear guidelines on when and how to use each color.
Typography: Font choices and usage rules to maintain readability and aesthetic harmony.
Custom Components: A library of buttons, form fields, menus, and more, complete with variants for different use cases.
Documentation: Detailed examples and instructions for every element, ensuring clarity for anyone who uses it.
Why It Matters
Creating this design system wasn’t just a personal achievement; it’s an essential step in the design-to-development handoff process. As my mobile iOS app project moves into development, this system will serve as a single source of truth for everyone involved. Designers will use it to maintain consistency, and developers will reference it to implement features accurately.
Looking back, I’m proud of how I approached this challenge. I didn’t have all the answers at the start, but I trusted my ability to find them. This project reminded me that growth happens when we step outside our comfort zones and tackle the unfamiliar.
What's Next?
One key focus for the future is empowering designers and developers to make localized or global changes seamlessly and efficiently. By providing clear documentation and tools, the design system offers a level of agency that supports independent problem-solving. With text styles and font styles clearly defined, designers and developers can easily adjust font colors, typography, or graphics as needed. This flexibility ensures the app design remains consistent while adapting to different contexts or user requirements, accommodating the unique needs of users and stakeholders alike.
With the design system complete, I’m excited to see how it will shape my mobile iOS app project as it progresses through development. However, I know this is just the beginning. As app evolves and iterates, so will the design system. New components will be added, existing ones refined, and guidelines updated to reflect the app’s growing needs.