The mission of this project was to create a visual language that serves as the unifying thread across Betterplace products and teams, always keeping our primary users - the blue-collar workforce - front and center.
Why
We decided to create a central design system to address recurring issues:
▪️ Inconsistent Designs: With 15+ products managed by different teams (pods✨), the lack of a unified system led to inconsistent design language, impacting user experience.
▪️ Slow Development: The absence of a design system caused delays due to extensive back-and-forth between design, QA, and tech teams.
▪️ Multiple Systems: Acquisitions like OLX People/ Aaasan Jobs, Okaygo, Bueno Finance, and MyRobbin resulted in separate design systems, creating challenges in maintaining consistency.
Process
To address the challenges of multiple scattered design libraries, we took immediate action. As an early team member and gatekeeper of design files, with experience across nearly all Betterplace products, I brought deep insights into the inconsistencies and gaps in our design ecosystem. After a collaborative discussion to pinpoint these pain points, we presented a unified design system plan to leadership, highlighting its transformative benefits. With their full support, we set out to build a cohesive and powerful system that streamlined workflows and aligned our entire product portfolio.
Product & design library audit
Our primary focus was to address the Betterplace Platform's end-to-end use cases, which are the source of truth for all associated products. We identified 200+ key screens, analysed component usage, and pinpointed style inconsistencies. To kick off phase 1 of our design system, we prioritised the 15 most frequently used components, ensuring maximum impact and alignment across the platform.
Establishing tokens from the outset.
Documentation & implementation
Wrapping up
Podium DS played a significant role in promoting GoBetter products. Despite the comprehensive groundwork, the leadership ultimately decided to prioritise cost efficiency. The project was concluded with a shift in focus to optimise Ant Design 5 for GoBetter products, aligning with organisational goals and resources.
This effort organised designs and vertical processes, streamlining future development for Betterplace products. Transitioning to GoBetter with Ant Design 5 was completed in under a month.
