UI Collective on YouTube · Open on YouTube
Professional practice · Competent · Lesson 32 of 99 · 3 h 34 min video, then about 1 hour of practice
Working within a design system: tokens, components and documentation
After this you can build and document a small design system, and explain how a system trades flexibility for consistency and speed.
Why it matters
A design system is a shared language between design and engineering: tokens for primitive decisions, components for composed ones, documentation for the rules. Most product design jobs involve *working within* a system rather than creating one, so the skill being hired for is contribution and correct use: knowing when to use an existing component, when to extend it, and when a genuine new pattern is justified. Trap: building a beautiful system nobody documents, which decays within a month.
How to use this resource
Three and a half hours building a system end to end on the current Figma. The most complete free treatment available; work along rather than watching.
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