Building a design system is the easy part—getting your team to adopt it is the real challenge. We dive into the hidden elements that make design systems truly successful.

What if the real blocker to your design system isn’t tooling or design, but trust?

Creating a design system is easy.

Well, ok. That’s a bit click-baity, isnt' it?

It’s not easy.

But creating the design system is a whole hell of a lot easier than getting people to actually use it consistently.

But first, check out this week's sponsor:

A lot of design systems fail, and it’s not because the components are bad.

If you’ve ever spent countless hours working on your design system only to see it gather dust, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

⇢ It’s because we build them too early.
⇢ We don’t ask what people actually need.
⇢ We forget that adoption isn’t the goal—alignment is!

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The fact is, you’re not Kevin Costner, and just because you’ve built it doesn’t mean anyone will use it.

So, what do you do when your design system isn’t getting used?

Justin Crews has seen this type of thing play out multiple times inside large organizations, and he’s learned a few lessons the hard way, so you don’t have to!

This week, he joins the show to discuss it and explain how we can ensure that our design system is adopted and used by the entire team.

Justin and I dig into:

➡️ Why building components should come after documenting decisions
➡️ How design systems support standardization, not innovation
➡️ Why designers need to stop dictating and start listening
➡️ How to think about influence, trust, and the real adoption curve

If your team has ever built a beautiful Figma library that no one uses… this episode is for you.

Don’t miss it!

Build Trust, Not Just Compon... May 1 · Beyond UX Design 74:43   ​

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1️⃣ Standardization starts with alignment, not consensus: You don’t need every team to agree on everything. What you need is clarity around tradeoffs, shared goals, and consistent outcomes. Use that to guide documentation, not dictate perfection.

2️⃣ Build incrementally and prove impact as you go: You don’t need a complete library to start. Build the components people are already using and show how it saves time or reduce confusion. Every small win earns credibility and makes the case for expanding the system further.

3️⃣ Document decisions before enforcing standards: Don’t assume your team needs a system. Show them what’s inconsistent first. Auditing what currently exists allows you to identify the actual gaps and opportunities. It also helps to frame the system as a solution to real problems.

4️⃣ Design systems aren’t innovation tools; they are maintenance tools: If you’re building something new or exploratory, a design system can get in the way. Wait until you’ve validated patterns, then wrap them into the system. Systems scale things that already work—they don’t create value out of thin air.

5️⃣ Adoption follows trust and timing: Just because a design system is “available” doesn’t mean it will be adopted. Adoption happens when teams trust that the system solves real problems. That trust comes from involving people early and listening to their needs—not forcing compliance.

Listen to episode 122 now!

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