#design-systems

Build comprehensive design system that scales across teams and products. Foundation elements: 1. Color palette: primary (3-5 colors), secondary, semantic colors (success, warning, error). 2. Typography scale: modular scale ratio (1.125, 1.25, 1.5), weight hierarchy (regular, medium, bold). 3. Spacing system: 8px base unit, scale (8, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64px). 4. Iconography: consistent style, 24px base size, stroke width standardization. Component library: 1. Atomic level: buttons, inputs, labels with all states (default, hover, active, disabled). 2. Molecular level: search bars, form fields with validation states. 3. Organism level: headers, cards, navigation systems. Documentation structure: 1. Design principles: brand personality, user experience guidelines. 2. Usage guidelines: when to use each component, accessibility requirements. 3. Code snippets: implementation examples for developers. Tools: Figma for design components, Storybook for development documentation, design tokens for consistency across platforms. Governance: design system team ownership, regular audits, contribution process for new patterns.

Design user interfaces that are both beautiful and universally accessible. Interface hierarchy: 1. Information architecture: logical content grouping, clear navigation paths. 2. Visual hierarchy: size, color, spacing to guide user attention. 3. Interaction design: intuitive gestures, clear affordances, feedback systems. Accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA): 1. Color contrast: 4.5:1 minimum for normal text, 3:1 for large text. 2. Focus indicators: visible outline for keyboard navigation. 3. Alternative text: descriptive text for images, decorative images marked as such. 4. Semantic markup: proper heading structure, form labels, button descriptions. Design patterns: 1. Touch targets: minimum 44px × 44px for mobile interfaces. 2. Spacing: consistent 8px grid system for visual rhythm. 3. Typography: line height 1.5x font size, maximum 75 characters per line. Tools: Figma with accessibility plugins, Stark for contrast checking, screen readers for testing. User testing: include users with disabilities in design validation, conduct keyboard-only navigation tests.