95. Matt Weinberg, Sr. Product Designer at Angi: Empathy-First Approach to Evolving Design Systems
Jan 2, 2024
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Matt Weinberg, a Senior Product Designer at Angi, shares his insights on the evolution of design systems. He discusses his approach to refining and improving design systems at Angi, including gathering user feedback, conducting usability tests, and embracing collaboration between designers and engineers. Matt emphasizes the importance of empathy, accessibility, and continuous improvement in design systems, while also addressing the challenges of implementing them in large organizations.
Improving discoverability and fostering shared understanding enhance the functionality and communication of design systems.
Regular user feedback, surveys, and usability tests drive continuous improvement and informed decision-making in design systems.
Deep dives
Improving Discoverability and Shared Understanding
When Matt Weinberg joined Angie, he discovered that one of the first challenges was improving the discoverability of the design system and fostering a shared understanding of how it should work. He started by creating a documentation website to make system aspects easier to find and gather feedback from designers and engineers. By gauging how people used the system and addressing their issues, Matt was able to enhance the system's functionality and communication between designers and engineers.
Using Research and Usability Testing to Drive Improvements
Matt believes that design systems are products, and like any product, they require continuous improvement based on user feedback. He regularly sends surveys to the team to gauge their satisfaction with the design system and gather insights about usability and contribution. Additionally, he conducts usability tests to understand how people perform tasks within the system. This data-driven approach helps identify gaps in knowledge, improve discoverability, and make informed decisions to enhance the design system.
Promoting Empathy and Collaboration
One of Matt's key focuses is fostering empathy and collaboration between designers and engineers. He believes that understanding each other's roles and processes is essential for building a successful design system. Matt facilitates conversations and workshops between designers and engineers to ensure they grasp the system's workings and solve problems together. He also links design and engineering tools to streamline information flow and encourages open dialogue to meet the needs of both disciplines.
In this episode of the Design Systems Podcast, we discuss the evolution of design systems with special guest Matt Weinberg, Senior Product Designer at Angi. Matt has a passion for empathy-driven design solutions and shares his unconventional career path that led him to tackle the challenge of refining and improving the design systems at Angi. He reveals how he approached the initial state of the design system, identified user needs, and implemented incremental improvements. Matt also shares the importance of gathering user feedback, conducting usability tests, and embracing a collaborative approach between designers and engineers. His insights provide a valuable roadmap for anyone navigating the complex world of design systems.
Guest Matt Weinberg is a systems-specialized product designer from Brooklyn, NY, currently working on design systems for Angi. He is largely focused on design system ergonomics, designer-engineer collaboration, tooling + workflows, accessibility, and keeping systematic UI creative + fun.
Host Chris Strahl is co-founder and CEO of Knapsack, host of @TheDSPod, DnD DM, and occasional river guide. You can find Chris on Twitter as @chrisstrahl and on LinkedIn.
Sponsor Sponsored by Knapsack, the design system platform that brings teams together. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.
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