Does your design system work for you?
Every design system is built to create consistent interfaces. But does your design system bring joy to your team? Does it bring design and development closer together? Is maintenance taking time better spent on features?
Discover how a well-structured design system will increase collaboration between your developer and UX team, and how to make the implementation of pixel-perfect designs easier by providing well-crafted, composable components.
Then, we’ll learn how design tokens connect design to development with a shared language. As always, naming things is hard - but we’ll find how layers can introduce flexibility and consistency in your front-end architecture.
Interview:
What key takeaways can attendees expect from your InfoQ Dev Summit session?
Attendees will discover how a well-structured design system will increase collaboration between your developer and UX team, and how to make the implementation of pixel-perfect designs easier by providing well-crafted, composable components. They'll learn how design tokens connect design to development with a shared language and how the structure of your design tokens and provide consistency and flexibility.
What's the focus of your work these days?
I am currently the Technical Product Owner (TPO) and contributor to the PatternFly design system. The PatternFly team is currently wrapping up a major release that includes a complete visual refresh, introduces design tokens, and adds micro animations.
What technical aspects of your role are most important?
My ability to "speak" both design and development is central to my role as TPO. As a CSS developer, I need to understand what designers are working toward, and to understand how the CSS will work with React to make our design system components work for consumers. It's also super important to understand accessibility concerns since that spans design and development and requires both to create an accessible experience.
How does your InfoQ Dev Summit Boston session address current challenges or trends in the industry?
Although design tokens have been around for a decade, it's just now that they are picking up momentum as tools like Figma enable a real connection between design and development.
How do you see the concepts discussed in your InfoQ Dev Summit Boston session shaping the future of the industry?
I hope that everyone will see the power that design tokens bring to design systems, from increased better communication and tighter coupling between design and development, to easier theming and customization.
Speaker
Sarah Rambacher
Front-End UI Developer @Red Hat
Sarah Rambacher is a Senior Software Engineer at Red Hat, where she serves as the Technical Product Owner and CSS developer for the PatternFly design system. With over 30 years experience in enterprise applications, Sarah has focused on making interfaces that are accessible, intuitive, and pleasing to use. As a “front of the front end” CSS developer and product owner, she bridges the gap between design and functionality. Outside of work, she is a serial sock knitter and avid library supporter.
