On Theme: Design Systems in Depth
On Theme: Design Systems in Depth
Elyse Holladay
Stop waiting for permission! and other ways to show design systems value, with Brian Alfaro — #05
42 minutes Posted Feb 17, 2025 at 4:00 pm.
Brian & Episode Intro
Legacy systems, politics, and people
The UI reflects the org chart
Showing value to get continued system investment
The system codifies decisions
It's not measurable
Making change all of the time with what you have
It's a toilet 🚽
The change bucket
Stop waiting for permission!
🌶️ Spicy Take
0:00
42:58
Download MP3
Show notes
If the way we're building design systems has a fatal flaw, it's "waiting for enough investment to get it right." In this episode, Brian teaches us to not wait for permission and how your product teams' success is your success. Brian reminds us how important it is to remember that we're all on the same team, building the same product—and why internal politics and storytelling matters way more than components. Plus, why design systems are like toilets (not a Dad joke, I promise) and why Brian a...