Design

🪴 Design System Maturity Model (SVG) (https://lnkd.in/efJhPs2C), a neat little tool for design teams to evaluate a design system, where you are and where you want to be to create an actionable roadmap — with frequent areas to consider as strongly covered, partially covered, or not covered at all. Neatly put together by Farid Sabitov. When we work on a design system, we never start with a comprehensive list of UI components or design system features to work through. Instead, we explore areas which could significantly benefit from reuse and team alignment. Typically it’s quite similar but slightly different workflows. Never-ending design discussions about the “right” way to do something. Conversations about the right UI components to choose. Naming conventions. Do’s and don’ts for specific UI patterns. Defaults, presets, templates. We start with something along the lines of a “minimum valuable design system” — some alignment around our decisions that benefits our workflows, ways of working, stakeholders and user’s most frequent tasks in the product. It then trickles down into necessary UI components and UI flows to design and decide upon — with accessibility guides, design tokens, usage examples from our products, UI decision trees and (eventually) magical workarounds for legacy systems. One thing to keep in mind is that a good design system is the one that’s actually useful for your organization. It isn’t a checklist to tick off boxes from, and it doesn’t have to be incredibly robust or comprehensive. It must be useful, and reflect decisions made. Thanks to Farid for putting it all together, although personally I wouldn’t start with the UI kit, but rather a small, tiny library of frequent troubles and slowdowns that we decide upon and start reusing. But it’s an interesting conversation starter to align with your team. How does the model fit with the work you are currently doing in your design system? And what do you use to assess how efficient your design system work is? Leave your insights in the comments! -- ✤ Useful resources: Design System Worksheet PDF, by Nathan Curtis Article: https://lnkd.in/eTUusGcw PDF: https://lnkd.in/e4D5qjx3 Design System in 90 Days Canvas (FigJam template), by Dan Mall https://lnkd.in/eJRwNi4v Design System Canvas (PDF, FigJam), by Paavan Buddhdev https://lnkd.in/e8Tq9rJG #ux #DesignSystems

I have spent hundreds of hours analyzing design systems. One of the things that confused me for many years is how to structure color scales and tokens. I have experimented with multiple structures at different sizes of design systems, and at a high-level recommend the following approach: 1. Primitive Colors Your design system foundations should always start with a full color scale that is based on your brand identity. We call these colors Primitives, and your variable/token collection should look like this: - purple-600 - purple-500 - purple-400 - And so on.. To create a Primitives palette you will want to start from your main brand colors and use a tool like UIColors, Supapalette, Colorbox to expand to the full scale. (links in comments) This is a great foundation to have, as it gives you a set of shades that can be used in different ways, and ensures all of them have consistent hues, saturation and brightness. However, Primitive colors are simply not effective when used directly in your designs: - They create ambiguity - Their names have no contextual meaning - They are often misused due to similarity If you have had the “why are there 20 different shades of gray?” conversation with an engineer, you know what I mean. So let’s see how we can improve that. 2. Semantic Colors This is my default recommendation to all product design teams that don’t have a highly complex design system. What you will want to do here is create a new variable collection named Semantic, which is what’s visible in your design files, and comprises of: - Brand / Action - Text - Link - Border - Icon - Surface / Background - Bias - Data / Charts Each color should point to a primitive value, e.g. - text-primary → gray-800 - text-secondary → gray-600 - text-tertiary → gray-400 This takes a bit of setting up, but creates immense long-term value. A great example of a simple, theme-level Semantic structure is Shopify’s Polaris (link in comments) 3. Component-level Semantic Lastly, if you are working on a design system with a lot of complexity and, ideally, a dedicated design systems team, you might want to add another level of hierarchy and specify colors at a component-level. In this structure, you would want to create color tokens based on how they are used in each component. - input-text-filled → text-primary - input-text-placeholder → text-secondary - input-text-disabled → text-tertiary This eliminates all guesswork, but also increases the complexity exponentially. It does serve a purpose though. As design systems scale, you may find that: - A theme-level semantic structure is too restrictive - There is still some guesswork - Decisions need to be documented. An example of this is Uber’s Base and Adobe’s Spectrum design system, linked in the comments. I’m curious to know, what structure are you using for your design system and what has worked well for you? — If you found this useful, consider reposting ♻️ #uidesign #designsystems #productdesign

7 out of 10 of my projects start with fixing what most people ignore. This includes: - making copy easier to read - making images informational - making product name impactful Simple, but yet forgotten. In this post, using URturms example, I'll be sharing 11 underestimated changes that can increase your website sales. 1. Adding breadcrumbs. Important if you drive ad traffic to the PDP directly. They take shopper to the parent category page. Reducing bounce rate. 2. Adding a badge. Like "Bestseller", "Most Loved", "Few Left". This reassures the shopper that they're making the right decision. 3. Making images easier to swipe. Add a sneak peek of the next image along with navigation dots that show the count. Cap them at 8. 4. Making the product name impactful. Add key USPs. Show your current product name to 10 people. Do they understand what it is? 5. Add a short description below product name. Keep it in 1 line. Highlight it's most important feature here. 6. Consider adding an offer close to price. This motivates the shopper as they see some potential savings or benefit. 7. Highlight key product strengths in bullets or with icons. Avoid sentences. Keep this before the add to cart CTA. 8. Keep your add to cart CTA full width. Don't combine it with quantity or another CTA next to it. Make sure it's readable and prominent. 9. Highlighting shipping time or return policy below the CTA. This solves for common questions - when will I get it? can I return it? 10. Cross-selling complementary products. Like bottoms with tops. Earrings with necklace. Do this close to the add to cart CTA. 11. Adding 'Benefits' to your accordion. This gets a higher click through rate, while helping shoppers understand why they should buy this. Other UX/UI changes I did: - Removed quantity button - Made the information bar non-moving - Removed log-in, moving search next to cart - Changed the font for product name and CTA - Increased font size in places for better readability Found this useful? Let me know in the comments! P.S. If you want to maximize your PDP’s potential, start by understanding your visitor's behavior and the gaps. Get heat maps for your site (Microsoft Clarity is free). Observe what they like to (and don't like to) interact with.

The financial case for brand strategy: Why CFOs should care. Branding isn’t just about looking good.* It drives real financial impact (* if done strategically) Yet, many companies still see it as a cost rather than an asset that increases enterprise value, reduces waste, and boosts profitability. Here’s what most businesses get wrong: - They see branding as expense, not an investment. - They focus on short-term lead generation over long-term equity. - They underestimate how much a strong brand lowers acquisition costs, improves pricing, reduces churn and attracts talent. Here’s how: 01 - Brand Strategy Increases Market Value: Brands are intangible, but they drive real financial value. Today, 80–85% of the S&P 500’s market value comes from intangibles like brand equity. Corporate reputation alone is worth $16 trillion globally. Companies with strong brands deliver 2× higher shareholder returns over 20 years than the MSCI World Index. Why? A strong brand builds trust, reduces risk, and increases pricing, partnerships, and M&A leverage. 02 - A Strong Brand Lowers Marketing Costs: Weak brands must pay to be noticed, they have to keep buying attention…spending millions on ads and lead gen. Strong brands generate attention. Tesla, for example, spends $0 on traditional ads, while competitors spend $495 per vehicle sold. Tesla’s brand, combined with a touch of Elon, drives WOM, earned media, and loyalty...saving hundreds of millions in marketing costs. (And yes, I know it works both ways, for better or worse) 03 - Branding Improves Profit Margins & Pricing Power: A strong brand lets you charge premium prices and avoid price wars. Apple sells iPhones at 40%+ gross margins, while competitors struggle, even with similar hardware. Why? Customers aren’t just buying a product, they’re buying into a brand. Data shows: - Consumers pay 11% more for trusted brands. - Brand-loyal customers pay 38% more, even price-sensitive ones pay 14% more. - Without strong branding, companies must compete on price alone. 04 - Strong Brands Retain Customers Longer: Retention is one of the biggest profitability drivers. It costs 5× more to acquire a new customer than to retain one. A 5% increase in retention boosts profits by 25–95%. Brand loyalty reduces churn, increases lifetime value, and creates repeat buyers without ads spend. 05 - Resilient Brands Outperform in Crises: In downturns, weak brands suffer revenue losses and resort to discounting. Strong brands hold their value & recover faster. During 2020, while most businesses struggled, the top 100 most valuable brands grew by +5.9%. A well-built brand acts as financial insulation, stabilising revenue. The Hard Truth: A strong brand isn’t a luxury, it’s a financial strategy. If your CFO still sees branding as a cost center, send them this. Sources: McKinsey, Interbrand, BrandZ, Bain & Company, Nielsen, Kantar, Invesp, Unilever, Tesla, industry reports on brand valuation, CAC, and shareholder returns.

Hospitals are healing patients faster with 30-year-old Australian technology. Most healthcare facilities still operate in the dark. SolarTube skylights channel natural sunlight through reflective tubes directly into patient rooms and treatment areas. No electricity needed. Just free healing light all day. The healthcare transformation numbers: ↳ Faster patient recovery rates documented ↳ 15% staff productivity increase ↳ Reduced eye strain for medical professionals ↳ Lower patient anxiety during procedures Think about that. Tigoni Medical Center in Kenya installed SolarTubes in their COVID-19 facility. Healthcare workers reported less fatigue, increased alertness during long shifts. Patients showed dramatically improved morale and energy levels. At Rogaska Medical Center, natural daylight flooded clinics without unwanted heat. Staff comfort improved. Patient outcomes followed. Italian dental offices meeting occupational daylight standards found something unexpected: patients felt less anxious. Procedures became more comfortable. Natural light calmed nerves that fluorescent bulbs couldn't. Traditional Healthcare Lighting: ↳ Fluorescent tubes causing eye strain ↳ High electricity costs ↳ Artificial environments ↳ Staff fatigue increases SolarTube Healthcare Reality: ↳ Natural light reduces stress hormones ↳ Serotonin production increases ↳ Circadian rhythms regulate properly ↳ Recovery accelerates naturally But here's what stopped me cold: We're medicating depression while keeping people in artificial light. Jim Rillie invented this solution in the 1980s. Launched Solatube International in 1991. Now 2 million units worldwide bring natural light indoors. Healthcare facilities that adopt it see measurable improvements. Staff wellness increases. Patient satisfaction scores rise. Recovery times shorten. The Multiplication Effect: 1 hospital = hundreds healing faster 100 facilities = thousands of staff energised 1,000 installations = healthcare transformed At scale = medicine working with nature VCC in the UK experienced enhanced well-being building-wide. Staff and patients reported feeling calmer, healthier, happier. Simply from abundant daylight. We're not just installing skylights. We're installing wellness. One beam of natural light at a time. Follow me, Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld for innovations that heal environments and people. ♻️ Share if you believe healthcare should harness nature's healing power.

How the Humble American Diner Became the Stage for Brand Storytelling.... When we think of a diner, we think nostalgia. Neon lights, checkered floors, milkshakes, and the smell of fries drifting through the air. But today, brands aren’t just serving nostalgia, they’re serving story, theatre, and tangible brand experiences that make people stop, engage, and remember. Take Tesla’s Cybertruck “Tesla Diner & Drive-In.” It’s not just about the Superchargers. It’s about a retro-futuristic diner and drive-in theatre that transforms a functional stop into a multi-sensory moment. The diner becomes the stage where Tesla’s narrative, 'innovation meets Americana' comes alive. It’s tactile, it’s playful, and it’s a perfect example of a brand turning necessity into experience. Luxury and lifestyle brands are doing the same. CHANEL, SKIMS, and Jellycat have used pop-up diners to reinforce their brand DNA while giving consumers a physical, sensory connection. Think soft tactile displays, curated menus, neon signs echoing campaign aesthetics, and social moments built into every corner. The diner becomes a theatrical playground: consumers don’t just buy a product, they inhabit it. They sip, they snap, they share. So why does this work so well? It taps into the experience economy and Gen-Z’s appetite for moments that feel real, tangible, and shareable. A diner is both familiar and fantastical, it’s something people already know how to navigate, yet it can be transformed into a brand’s universe. Retro cues spark nostalgia, playful design encourages interaction, and the combination of taste, touch, and sight delivers multi-sensory engagement that static campaigns can’t match. They also offer collaboration potential; menus, merch, even limited-edition treats become vehicles for storytelling and co-creation. Social content writes itself: photo-booths, milkshake moments, and a drool inducing aesthetic, all make for irresistible feed fodder. And because diners are inherently communal, they naturally create micro-communities around the brand experience. For me, the power of the pop-up diner is that it’s more than just activation, it’s a physical manifesto of a brand’s values and aesthetics, inviting consumers to live the story, not just consume it. It’s theatre, tactility, and sensory engagement all rolled into one. Brands today aren’t just launching products, they’re designing worlds. So, are you still marketing products, or are you serving experiences with a side of storytelling? ________________ *Hi, I am Tim Nash. I help global brands build connected campaigns that resonate across every touchpoint. 🚀 #BrandExperience #ExperientialMarketing #RetailInnovation #GenZTrends #StorytellingInRetail #CulturalStrategy #BrandActivations #ExperienceEconomy Pictures courtesy of Glossier, Inc. / Skims / Chanel / Tesla / Benefit Cosmetics

If you ever visit Bali, you'll notice a flood of Polo Ralph Lauren stores... All selling Polo apparel at almost 60% off the retail price... And despite the on point branding of the stores, they're all fake - not the original Polo Ralph Lauren... And this is because in the late 1970s, an Indonesian man trademarked the brand name, colours and logo in Indonesia, much before the American company decided to enter into that market. So all the stores can legally operate under the Ralph Lauren name and with the logo, but are not owned by the original American company we know of. Plus, the original brand cannot sell its products in Indonesia. And so that the same thing doesn't happen with your brand anywhere around the world... you must take these steps while registering your trademark... 1/ After registration of your trademark at the Indian Trademark Office (ITO), within six months file for a global trademark that is valid in 130 countries through a WIPO application which happens from the ITO itself In certain countries like China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Japan - also make a separate filing independent of the WIPO application - as these countries have a first-to-file method, which means if someone else files before you, they get the right even if you have been using the brand for longer 2/ To increase defensibility, also register variations of your trademark in other languages such as Chinese, Arabic - as well as trademark common misspellings of your name 3/ Consider getting a trademark not just in the same category in which you currently operate, but allied categories where you may operate in the future as well - for example, an apparel brand may want to enter bags, shoes, or even cosmetics, watches and sunglasses later. These days, even as small D2C brands begin to sell online and start getting orders from NRIs outside of India - it becomes important to protect your brand not just in your country of origin, but even elsewhere. #casarthakahuja

Most people walk past the wheelchair button without thinking about it. Some avoid pressing it because they assume it is only for people who visibly need it. Others avoid it because they want to save it for the right moment. I used to think that too. Then I learned from Tiffany Lyman Otten what actually keeps these doors working. The button is not a backup. It is the primary mechanism that protects the hydraulics. When people pull the door open by hand, the strain builds up. Over time, the door becomes harder to open. Eventually, it stops opening at all. That is how someone ends up stuck outside a building with no way to get in. This is one of the clearest examples of universal design in everyday life. Something built for one group ends up helping everyone. Parents with strollers. People carrying boxes. Someone recovering from surgery. Someone with arthritis. Someone who is simply having a hard day. Pressing the button keeps the door working for all of them. If you want to support universal design in the smallest possible way, start by pressing the button the next time you see one. It protects access for the widest range of people. And you never know who is counting on that door to open. Image: Outside entrance to a building with the accessible door button on a pedestal.

Did you know there’s a font designed just for accessibility? Meet Atkinson Hyperlegible, it was created by the Braille Institute of America to help people with low vision read more easily. It’s not a braille font (doesn’t include raised dots), but a print typeface. It even won the Fast Company Innovation Design Award in 2019! Molly Burke recently worked with her publisher to use the font for her memoir, Unseen. What makes it different? ⤵️ Hyperlegible exaggerates letter shapes so you can tell the difference between the letter “o” and the number zero (0), capital “i” vs. lowercase “l”, and the capital letter “b” vs. the number “8”. Other design features include: - Big open shapes - Clear spaces inside letters (known as open counters) - Distinct forms for commonly confused characters But who benefits? People who are blind or low vision, and people with dyslexia or visual processing differences. Clearer text equals easier reading! And the best part? It’s totally free 🎉 You can download it via Google Fonts or from the Braille Institute website. It also happens to be the same font this graphic post is written in. Accessibility isn’t always about doing more. It’s about doing things so that everyone benefits! This font is a small design choice with a big impact. Next time you design something: Try Atkinson Hyperlegible. Because readability is inclusion. Did you know about this font?  Share your thoughts or tag a designer friend in the comments! 👇 Image Description: Document with 9 slides. Each slide has a lime green border. The Blindish Latina logo with bold graphic black outline of an eye is at bottom of all slides. There is a white background behind all of the text on all slides. The text is in black and some emphasized phrases are purple. On the bottom of slides 1 and 7 is an image of Catarina, a light-skinned, Latiné woman with medium length wavy brown hair. She’s wearing a black jumpsuit with a V neck and her hands are on her hips. Slide 1 is the title slide that reads: “Did you know there’s a font designed just for accessibility?” On slide 1 there is clip art of a book with a red cover and a brain inside a light bulb. Slide 2 has clip art of an award ribbon. Slide 3 has a screenshot of advocate & content creator Molly Burke speaking at an event from one of her TikTok videos inside the outline of an iPhone. Slide 5 has a dark purple check mark inside a circle. Slide 6 has clip art of a computer outline in black with a wrench and gear in the center. All text on the slides is in the caption and alt text. #Disability #Accessibility #UniversalDesign

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗖𝗩 🔥 Instead, build a personal website with Lovable. It’s more authentic, way more expressive and it actually shows who you are. Here’s how to do it in under 10 min. Prompt Guide: 𝟭) 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 Start by describing yourself. Who are you? What's your background? What have you worked on? Pro tip: Upload a screenshot of your CV. Lovable can extract text from images, so you don’t have to write everything from scratch. 𝟮) 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲 Describe the feel of your site. Use expressive design language to shape the direction. Example: “Make it look like it was crafted by an award-winning designer. Ultra-modern, playful, highly usable. Smooth micro interactions, delightful UX touches.” 𝟯) 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 Reference brands you like. It gives Lovable a clear design language to pull from. Example: “Use Apple's design system. Lots of white space, soft shadows, frosted-glass elements, and a tight grid.” 𝟰) 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁 Ask Lovable for animations that bring the site to life. Example: “Add hover states to buttons, smooth scroll transitions, and soft fade-ins on cards.” 𝟱) 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 No work to show (yet)? Use a 3D visual instead. Go to Spline, remix something you like, grab the embed code, and drop it into Lovable. Example: “Add this rotating 3D sphere" 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 🚀 𝟲) 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 People hire people. Record a quick video intro to build connection. Prompt tip: “Embed a circular video of me at the top, saying hi and sharing my story. Keep it friendly and natural.” 𝟳) 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 / 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Let people see what you’re great at. Prompt tip: “Add a clean grid showing the tools I use—Figma, Notion, Webflow, etc. Include logos.” 𝟴) 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 Social proof builds trust. Screenshot nice messages from Slack, LinkedIn, or email. Prompt tip: “Include 2–3 short quotes from colleagues or managers about working with me.” 𝟵) 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 Most people will see your site on mobile first. Make sure it feels great. Prompt tip: “Optimize layout, font sizes, and buttons for mobile. Prioritize speed and readability.” 𝟭𝟬/ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗧𝗔 Don't just show, invite for action. Prompt tip: “Add a bold CTA at the end: ‘Let’s work together’ with a button linking to my email or LinkedIn.” This is how you stand out. Personal website > CV.