Hunter.io’s Post

It took me 5 months to build the design system for the product our team is building. We've been building the product for about 1.5 years now. Why not start with a design system to begin with? Here are some strong beliefs I have backed by experience: - When you start building something, delivery is more important than optimisation (for speed, standards, etc.) - In any new product you start designing for, there is a maturity curve - every 6 months, you realize you want to change the work done in the first month and make it better. Only after a certain point are you mature enough to build a design system that won't need rebuilding over and over again - I designed it with product deliveries. It was important to get the first 5-6 clients first. Focusing on design system is important, but not more important than revenue. You can't 80/20 everything! - After a certain point, I understood that I was redesigning frequently used components often. At this point, 2 elements per week is the target I set, which turned out to be 5 months for the entire system All this being said, it was so cool to complete that last component. * Incoming dork dance like Amy Santiago * This isn't over yet. Next steps - scale this to variables, make more patterns and widgets, finish a grid system. Let's go 🚀 #designsystem #productdesign #designlibrary #componentlibrary #uiuxdesign

How to Design Products Sustainably: 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹. Don’t design “me too” products. Don’t design another pointless object. Don’t design boring. Design only when you’re being creative, bold, and innovative—when you’re truly making a difference, even on a micro level. DEVICE, helps you develop a product strategy that matters. Let’s create something better together. #DesignOrDie #Innovation #ProductDesign

Design thinking helps you focus on what truly matters to users. 🐱 Rather than piling on features, it’s about understanding what they actually want and need. After all, you can build the fanciest cat tower, but sometimes…all they need is a simple box! 📦 What's one “fancy feature” you've seen that missed the mark? Let us know in the comments! 👇

Design thinking helps you focus on what truly matters to users. 🐱 Rather than piling on features, it’s about understanding what they actually want and need. After all, you can build the fanciest cat tower, but sometimes…all they need is a simple box! 📦 What's one “fancy feature” you've seen that missed the mark? Let us know in the comments! 👇

The evolution of design systems: From static style guides to living, breathing ecosystems. Modern design systems are more than just UI kits—they're the DNA of digital products. They embody brand values, accessibility standards, and interaction patterns. But the real magic? They evolve. As products grow and user needs change, design systems adapt, ensuring consistency across platforms while allowing for innovation. It's a delicate balance between structure and flexibility, between efficiency and creativity. The challenge? Building systems that scale without stifling design thinking.

I was recently asked, “how can you tell if a design is good?” Let's focus on product design for this discussion. When evaluating the quality of a product design, it goes beyond just aesthetics. Here are some key questions to consider: - What problem or unmet user need does it address? - Does it effectively solve that problem or fulfill the user need? - Is the design elegant and efficient in its solution? - Is it feasible within the current tech stack/architecture, considering any technical limitations? - Does it utilize existing product patterns to aid user comprehension and adoption? - Does it incorporate components from the design system, or should it extend the system? - Lastly, is the design accessible to all users? What other considerations would you include in determining the quality of a product design? Special thanks to Stephanie Smith for prompting this deep dive into evaluating design principles.

Do you always need a design system? Not all product initiatives need to stick to the design system like glue. There are times where you need to launch divergent (and maybe a little crazy) experiments to feel out a new opportunity. Sure — before you go fully off-road, you need to test it properly with an excellent user experience to see if it works. Technical debt is not a huge concern in these situations, so these initiatives are often lavished with special treatment that goes beyond the design system. It’s a chance for the designer to prioritize freedom of exploration and create an outstanding user experience. If a designer is asked to go off-road but still navigate with the design system, it just isn’t going to work! What was your latest little crazy project? If you're looking to master a design system without feeling constrained in your creativity, Sara has collected her insights in an article on the topic. 👉 Link in the comments!

I recently learned something the hard way; the price of innovation isn’t just in the hours spent designing, it’s in the compromises we sometimes have to make. As a Product Designer, I’ve always held the design process sacred. Every detail, every step matters. But in a fast-moving environment, things don’t always go as planned. Sometimes, you have to bend a little, adapt, adjust, and let go of the perfect process in the name of progress. It’s not easy. In fact, it’s been a tough pill to swallow. But I’m realizing that innovation often demands flexibility. It’s not just about how well we can design, but how well we can navigate the tension between the ideal and the practical. That’s where growth really happens. #ProductDesign #Innovation #LearningCurve #Adaptability #RealTalk #UXDesign

How to design instantly great products

This is really insightful.