Advanced Design Systems for UX Professionals

Workshop Outline: Advanced Design Systems for Seasoned UX Professionals

Duration: 2 Days

Target Audience: Experienced UX professionals, design leads, and system architects.

Format: Combination of lectures, hands-on exercises, group discussions, and case studies.

Day 1: Deep Dive into Advanced Design Systems

Part 1: Introduction & Goals

Duration: 30 minutes

• Welcome & Icebreaker
• Quick introductions and goal setting.
• Workshop Overview
• Agenda and key learning outcomes.

Part 2: Advanced Design System Architecture

Duration: 1.5 hours

• Design System Components
• Modular design principles: Breaking systems into reusable parts.
• Cross-platform consistency: Ensuring fluid UX across mobile, web, and beyond.
• Component vs. Pattern Libraries
• Differences, benefits, and when to use which.

Exercise: Component Library Setup

Participants will create a basic, modular component library in their tool of choice (Figma, Sketch, etc.).

Part 3: Design Tokens & Theming

Duration: 1.5 hours

• Deep Dive into Design Tokens
• Spacing, color, typography tokens: Consistency in multi-brand and multi-platform systems.
• Advanced Theming Techniques
• Theming across global, multi-product systems.
• Automating theme adaptations.

Exercise: Define & Apply Design Tokens

Hands-on: Participants define and apply tokens across multiple UI components to explore efficiency.

Break for refreshments and reducing information overload

Duration: 30 minutes

Part 4: Governance & System Maintenance

Duration: 1 hour

• Governance Models
• Scaling and maintaining large systems over time.
• Creating efficient update processes (e.g., versioning, documentation, changelogs).
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Aligning UX, engineering, and product teams for system adoption and maintenance.

Group Discussion: Governance Challenges

Participants will share their governance challenges and solutions from real-world projects.

Part 5: Design System Metrics & ROI

Duration: 1 hour

• Measuring Impact
• KPIs for tracking efficiency (time saved, consistency, adoption rates).
• Continuous Improvement Cycles
• Collecting and applying feedback to keep systems relevant.

Case Study Review

Explore case studies where design systems added measurable business value.

Wrap Up: Day 1

Duration: 30 minutes

• Recap & Q&A
• Review of key takeaways from Day 1.
• Q&A session to clear doubts before moving into Day 2.

Day 2: Enhancing Collaboration & Future-Proofing Design Systems

Part 1: Accessibility and Inclusivity in Design Systems

Duration: 1.5 Hours

• Accessible Component Design
• Ensuring WCAG compliance in every component.
• Manual vs. automated testing tools for accessibility.
• Inclusive Design Practices
• Building systems for a diverse range of users (e.g., accessibility, devices, culture).

Exercise: Accessibility Audit

Participants perform an accessibility audit on an existing design system and propose improvements.

Part 2: Collaboration Tools & Advanced Figma/Sketch Techniques

Duration: 1.5 hours

• Mastering Figma Components
• Nested components, auto-layout, and design libraries for scalability.
• Design Handoff Optimization
• Streamlining design-to-development handoffs using collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Zeplin, Storybook).

Hands-on Exercise: Component Updates

Participants work with nested components and auto-layout to understand how design systems evolve.

Part 3: Globalization & Localization in Design Systems

Duration: 1 hour

• Designing for Global Audiences
• Adapting design systems for different languages, cultures, and locales.
• Performance Optimization
• Techniques for making systems adaptable and lightweight for global use.

Discussion: Localization Challenges

Participants discuss challenges they've faced in adapting systems for global audiences.

Break for refreshments and reducing information overload

Duration: 30 minutes

Part 4: Future-Proofing Design Systems

Duration: 1.5 hour

• AI-Assisted Design
• How AI tools can integrate into design systems for automation.
• Emerging Technologies
• Preparing design systems for VR/AR, voice interfaces, and other future technologies.
• Ethics and Sustainability
• Designing systems with privacy, ethics, and sustainability in mind.

Exercise: Designing for Future Interfaces

Participants conceptualize how their design systems could be adapted for future trends like voice or AR interfaces.

Part 5: Case Studies & Industry Trends

Duration: 1 hour

• Case Studies
• Detailed analysis of design systems from companies like IBM, Google, Apple, Nokia, and Airbnb.
• Current and Emerging Trends
• Key trends influencing the future of design systems and UX.

Group Discussion: Lessons from Industry Leaders

Open discussion on takeaways from industry-leading design systems.

Workshop Wrap-up & Next Steps

Duration: 30 minutes

• Review & Final Q&A
• Summarize workshop learnings.
• Participants share action plans for improving their design systems.
• Next Steps & Resources
• Suggested readings, tools, and ongoing learning resources for further development.

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