DSP 137. Why You Shouldn’t Aim for Perfect: Building Design Systems That Deliver Business Value with Noelle Lansford

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Nov 11, 2025

In this discussion, Noelle Lansford, founder of Shep and an expert in design systems, emphasizes why perfection in design shouldn't overshadow business needs. She shares her insights on the importance of relational alignment between design, engineering, and product teams, warning against the pitfalls of chasing an unattainable ideal. Noelle also explores how AI can accelerate design processes, the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach, and how focusing on business value ultimately leads to more effective design systems.

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ADVICE

Market The System As Product + Platform

Position your design system as both product and platform by tracking success and storytelling.
Staff skills for socializing value and treat the system as foundational infrastructure with consultative roles.

ADVICE

Pick Outside-In Or Inside-Out

Choose an outside-in or inside-out approach deliberately and focus on one while iterating the other.
Start with patterns when exploring product flows, and start with foundations when you need stringent consistency.

ADVICE

Use Throwaway Patterns To Experiment

Use throwaway or intermediary patterns to let teams experiment and ship quickly.
Treat those patterns as stepping stones and deprecate them when the final solution is ready.

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If you’ve ever struggled to balance perfection with business reality, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Design Systems Podcast, Chris Strahl talks with Noelle Lansford, founder of Shep, about why chasing the “perfect system” often breaks more than it fixes. Drawing on her experience across startups and Fortune 5 companies, Noelle argues that design systems succeed when they serve people and the business—not when they chase architectural purity. She and Chris dig into the realities of relational alignment between design, engineering, and product, the shift from component factories to consulting mindsets, and what AI means for the next generation of design leadership.

Here’s what stood out:

Perfection shouldn’t be your goal
Design systems teams should pursue an infrastructure + enablement structure
Systems of systems thinking works—if the cultural conditions are right
AI makes iteration faster, which makes human oversight more essential

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Guest

Noelle Lansford began her career as an engineer on design system teams before transitioning into design, where she discovered her passion for connecting the technical and human sides of digital product creation. Today, as the founder of Shep, a design systems consultancy that partners with organizations from early-stage startups to Fortune 5 companies, Noelle helps bridge the gap between design, engineering, and business strategy. Her work focuses on creating systems that balance structure with flexibility, prioritize people over process, and deliver lasting business value instead of chasing perfection.

Host

Chris Strahl is co-founder and CEO of Knapsack, host of @TheDSPod, DnD DM, and occasional river guide. You can find Chris on LinkedIn.

Sponsor

Sponsored by Knapsack, the design system platform that brings teams together. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.