01

The Problem

Ascent’s suite of digital products did not have a consistent UI and front-end experience. Between the design team’s multiple designers challenged with keeping designs aligned and the development teams struggling to maintain consistency with components, I saw the need for something new.

02

The Solution

After experiencing the challenges of not having a consistent process of front-end design and development, I proposed the idea to the CIO that we develop one custom and centralized design system.

03

Initial Design Process

I challenged my team of designers to design and build reusable components in Figma that all designers would use in their prototypes. The designers were able to accomplish this using Ascent branding, industry usability standards, as well as web accessibility standards.

04

Developing the System

I was able to bring a new position to my team to lead the development of the designer’s component library into reusable development components made available to all product teams at Ascent. This UI Engineer position worked closely with the UI Designer to maintain and grow this component library.

05

The Impact

As teams started using the design system they immediately started seeing the benefits. Notably, the communication between development and design had improved significantly. The “pixel perfect” stigma is all but disapparated since the UI was already built. The developers were developing more rapidly due to the removal of questions or building of small components. And the business has been able to see a very consistent user experience between all products.