Design Systems Podcast

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Zach, Aaron, and Chris discuss the commonalities between design systems and products, as well as how a product-driven mindset can help your design systems achieve new levels of enterprise adoption and scale.Guest: Zach Hendershot is a Managing Partner at Crux Digital. He is a leader with a diverse background of building and growing digital products within startups and large enterprises. He's passionate about scaling, reusability, and great customer experiences everywhere, and has worked to find new ways to bridge the gap between great customer experience and great digital products. He's led cross-functional digital teams at Charter Spectrum, Ogilvy, and others. You can find Zach on LinkedIn.Guest:  Aaron Stone is the Founder of Crux Digital. He is an experienced technology leader, full-stack application developer, and UX evangelist with a focus on user-driven digital products, insightful interaction design, and scalable, high-quality code. He has been the technical architect for enterprise design systems for Transamerica, Charter Spectrum, and GE Renewable Energy as well as helping teams deliver the complex technology ecosystems that surround them. He built Crux Digital around an amazingly talented group of design-minded engineers who have collectively been responsible for world-class digital product delivery for the Fortune 1000 for the past four years. You can find him on LinkedIn.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: Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Design once, build once, use everywhere. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Sit tight—this is a long one! Stephen Gates and Chris discuss the real value of design systems, what designers and football players have in common, and how to apply design methodology to day-to-day work.Guest: Stephen Gates is Senior Vice President of Omni-channel Product Design for WW. In this role, he is responsible for the design of WW’s end-to-end member experience across all digital, virtual, and physical touchpoints, to create a cohesive wellness experience and help unify members’ needs across channels.With over 20 years of experience, Stephen is a global design leader who has built world-class teams at organizations that integrate research and data with human-centered design methods to drive business impact. Prior to joining WW in February 2021, Stephen was the Head Design Evangelist at InVision, where he developed award-winning global advertising campaigns and innovative digital experiences for clients such as American Airlines, W Hotels, Disney, ExxonMobil, Acura, Old Navy, Nationwide Insurance, Verizon, Subaru, and many more. He has also held key design leadership roles at Citi, Starwood Hotels, and McCann Erickson. Stephen’s work has received recognition at over 150 international award shows including honors for Cannes Cyber Lions, Webby Awards, and the Web Awards. His work has also been featured in 10 Apple keynotes.Stephen is also the host of the award-winning podcast, The Crazy One, which features in-depth explorations of issues that matter to creatives, including leadership, creativity, and career development and innovation. He has also been named one of the most talented and influential creatives working today by HOW Magazine.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: Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Design once, build once, use everywhere. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode.Check out Stephen’s first episode on the Design System Podcast.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Gina and Chris discuss the importance of real-deal content in your designs, defining “good design” for your company, and how to set effective, meaningful KPIs for design work.Guest: Gina is the Principal Analyst, Design and Accessibility, at Forrester Research. Her research focuses on experience design organizations, scaling design, accessibility, and inclusive design. You can find Gina on Forrester’s blog, on Twitter as @ginabhawalkar, and on LinkedIn.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: Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Design once, build once, use everywhere. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Want to help the design systems community learn more about adoption?  Take our four-minute survey.Microsoft’s Josh Cusick and Chris discuss how to convey intent when working with a design system, the importance of buy-in for a successful design system culture, and whether or not your design system will ever be finished.Guest: Josh Cusick is a product designer at Microsoft, working on Microsoft’s Fluent Design System and mentor at ADPList. You can find Josh on Medium and LinkedIn, and you can check out his portfolio website here.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: Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Design once, build once, use everywhere. Learn more at knapsack.cloudView the transcript for this episode.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Want to be part of the industry's first-ever report on design system adoption? Click here to take part in our 4-minute survey.In this deep-dive episode, Danny, Robin, and Chris discuss the differences and similarities of design systems at different stages of maturity, including ROI measurement; who should manage your design system, and how to create a balance of power between designers and developers working on your design system.Robin Cannon is the Global Director of Design Systems, IBM iX at IBM. Having spent several years leading the development of IBM’s design system, Carbon, he’s now working on IBM iX’s design systems offering—and design operations in general—with clients and partners. You can find Robin on Twitter as @shinytoyrobots, and LinkedIn.Danny Phillips is a Staff Engineer at Procore, former Group Engineering Manager, Design Systems. Over the past several years, he helped build their design system from the ground up and is now focused on building new ventures at Procore. You can find Danny on Twitter as @_dannyjphillips or LinkedIn.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: Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Design once, build once, use everywhere. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode here.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Leonardo De La Rocha and Chris discuss the “federated” design system model, how to connect design systems to business needs, designing friction-free cross-platform experiences, and C-suite awareness of design needs.Guest: Lonardo De La Rocha is an engineer turned pixel-pusher turned creative executive and adviser. He currently serves as Director of Intuit Design System in Mountain View, CA, and was previously creative director leading Facebook's art department and business marketing surfaces  and Yahoo's Head of Design for ads and publishing products. You can find Leonardo at his portfolio site, on Twitter as @delarocha, as a mentor on ADPList, and on LinkedIn. 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: Knapsack: design once, build once, use everywhere. Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Audrey and Chris discuss the vision guiding Xero’s design system team, how co-ownership helps design system teams thrive, the processes she uses for managing a global team, and how the Xero design system team approaches modernization.Guest: Audrey has been designing digital experiences at high-growth technology companies for over 12 years. She’s passionate about growing teams to be their best through shipping product with impact. You can find Audrey at her personal site and on LinkedIn.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: Sponsor: Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Design once, build once, use everywhere. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Jess Clark and Chris discuss the meaning of design systems and the potential of design systems as a service. What can design systems offer us beyond infrastructure? How can approaching design systems as products, rather than repositories, increase their capabilities?Guest: Jess Clark is Director of Product Design, Design Systems at LinkedIn, where she is responsible for enabling quality design at scale through tools, collaboration, and LinkedIn’s Design System. Her team strives to empower and educate their peers to deliver amazing, inclusive, consistent experiences to members and customers. You can find Jess on LinkedIn.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: Knapsack: design once, build once, use everywhere. Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.This episode is a little bit longer—okay, a lot longer—than our usual. Chrome developer advocate Adam Argyle and Chris Strahl talk about tokens in all their glory without worrying about time limits. If you’ve ever wondered about the limits of tokens and what’s left to explore in the token stratosphere, check out this podcast.Guest: Adam Argyle is a Chrome CSS Developer Advocate at Google, creator of VisBug, co-host of The CSS Podcast, developer, former designer, and RPG enthusiast. You can find Adam at nerdy.dev, on Twitter as @argyleink, and on LinkedIn.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: Knapsack: design once, build once, use everywhere. Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode.

Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Maya Hampton and Chris discuss why design systems need to be flexible, the role of a product manager in a design system, and viewing design systems as products.Guest: Maya Hampton is the product manager of REI’s design system, where she leads a cross-functional team, including design and engineering, to help scale REI's branding and consistent UX across the co-op’s digital portfolio. You can find Maya on Medium, Twitter as @himaya, and LinkedIn.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: Knapsack: design once, build once, use everywhere. Knapsack is a design system platform rooted in code for shipping consistent apps in half the time. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.View the transcript for this episode.