Pilot programs

Pilot programs test your content design system with a small group of internal users before full rollout.^[1] They reveal whether your system actually helps teams make better content and design decisions at scale. Without a pilot, you risk building a system that looks organized but slows down real product development.

Select designers and writers from different product areas for your pilot run. For example, one from mobile, one from web, and one from a new feature team. Include users of different levels: from senior designers to junior writers. This mix of users will help you see whether your system works for different experience levels and product contexts.

Run the pilot during an actual sprint cycle (2-3 weeks). Have participants use the system for real product content needs: like designing a new flow, building notifications for a product, or define content strategy for the new feature. Track how long these tasks take compared to their old process. The pilot lead (usually the content design system owner) should meet with each writer twice weekly and ask specific questions like, "Which templates saved time?" and "What slowed you down?" Document their answers to fix issues before wider rollout.