Help, I'm starting a new design system job! with Amy Ogg — #11

15 snips

Mar 31, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Amy Ogg, a design system practitioner at Therapy Brands, shares her journey into new roles. She highlights the emotional rollercoaster of starting a design system position and offers strategies for the first 30-60-90 days. Trust-building is key, as Amy elaborates on the Benjamin Franklin effect and how helping others fosters connections. She also emphasizes the importance of cross-training and understanding team dynamics. With anecdotes from her barista days, she demonstrates how diverse experiences can shape UX design.

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ADVICE

UX the Process

Prioritize listening and observing in the first week of a new design system role.
Understand the existing landscape before proposing changes, mimicking a UX research process.

INSIGHT

Trust as Foundation

Building trust is crucial in a new design system role, but ironically, trying too hard can be counterproductive.
Focus on being human, approachable, honest, and willing to learn to genuinely connect with the team.

ANECDOTE

Onboarding Deep Dive

Amy describes her onboarding process, which included meeting with her manager, designers, engineers, and POs.
She focused on understanding their perspectives, pain points, and the current state of the design system.

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📲 Text the show your thoughts!

This one’s a little bit different than some of the projects and topics that we've had on the podcast so far — we’re talking about starting a new role. I think it's one of the hardest things that we do sometimes as design system practitioners, because the design system is really about changing your organization, changing the way we build UI, and so there's a lot of weight on your shoulders when you come into a new role.

Starting a new job as a design system practitioner can feel exciting and terrifying all at once—but Amy Ogg has some insights to help us navigate the emotional rollercoaster. Amy and Elyse chat about how to spend your first 30-60-90 days, building genuine trust, and why making big changes as a new hire can actually backfire. They commiserate over balancing the overwhelming backlog as a small team, and Amy shares why she thinks cross-training outside your expertise is a must. Plus, Amy shares how her experience as a barista shaped her approach to UX design ☕️

💖 On Theme is a brand new podcast, so if you like what you're hearing, please hit subscribe and sign up at designsystemsontheme.com!

Links & References

🎨🎟️ Into Design Systems is May 25-28
Get your ticket at intodesignsystems.com/ontheme

Into Design Systems is back with their annual virtual conference, May 28-30, 2025. Get your ticket now for three days of practical, hands on sessions showing the what, why, and how of design systems. This year, the conference is focused on developer handoff, accessibility, multi brand theming, and governance. You'll get hands on knowledge you can put to use at work immediately, files and resources to take away, and hear from very well known industry speakers.