
Design Systems Podcast
Design Systems Podcast interviews industry leaders and product makers to share best practices and explore the areas where design and development come together.
Latest episodes

Nov 16, 2023 • 31min
91. Designing diversity: Crafting tiered systems for a global market with Tim Banker at Slalom Consulting
Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Join Chris Strahl and Tim Banker on an exciting dive into the world of innovative design systems. They explore the creation of tailored solutions for a diverse range of global markets, showcasing how a 'system of systems' approach can meet various needs, from marketing to transactional experiences. Get ready to transcend the one-size-fits-all model and redefine design flexibility.View the transcript of this episode here.Register here for our upcoming webinar, ‘Design System Roadmap & Strategy for the Enterprise’ on November 29th. GuestTim Banker serves as Senior Director of Global Experience Design at Slalom Consulting. He specializes in helping companies on their journey toward design at scale, with a focus on design systems, design & research operations, and enterprise accessibility strategy.Resources:https://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/https://www.nngroup.com/articles/crosscultural-design/https://www.w3.org/blog/international/https://www.w3.org/TR/international-specs/https://uxknowledgebase.com/internationalization-localization-d84795b7962chttps://rtlstyling.com/https://systems-of-harm.fireside.fm/HostChris 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.Sponsored by Knapsack, the design system platform that brings teams together. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.

Nov 9, 2023 • 33min
90. The innovation triad: Needs, coverage and adoption with Alex Wilson and Jon Reidy at T. Rowe Price
Join Alex Wilson and Jon Reidy from T. Rowe Price as they discuss their approach to evolving with community demands, the challenge of building and unifying a design system, choosing an all-in-one solution, and encouraging experimentation and collaboration in onboarding. They also explore the challenges of supporting variations within a design system and the value of experimentation and idea sharing.

Nov 1, 2023 • 30min
89. Metrics matter: Harnessing usage data for adoption, coverage, efficiency, and quality with Maya Hampton at REI
Maya Hampton, Senior Digital Product Manager for Design Systems at REI, discusses the power of usage data in driving adoption, efficiency, and quality. Topics include measuring success with adoption and sentiment, assessing lasting impact through metrics, building durable components, and communicating value in design systems.

Oct 26, 2023 • 28min
88. Beyond isolation: Harmonizing products in a design ecosystem with JJ Rogers at Watermark
Join Chris Strahl and JJ Rogers as they discuss harmonizing products in a design ecosystem. They explore integrating new products, adopting a design system in existing products, harmonizing products in M&A scenarios, challenges and benefits of design systems, and the role of design systems in bringing innovation.

Oct 18, 2023 • 35min
87. Designing success: Crafting principles for passkey adoption with Kevin Goldman and Sierre Wolfkostin at FIDO Alliance
Join Kevin Goldman and Sierre Wolfkostin as they discuss the FIDO Alliance's mission to revolutionize online authentication. They explore the development of passkeys, challenges faced, and the increasing adoption by brands. They also highlight the process of designing adoption guidelines and strategies for raising awareness. The podcast also delves into the role of design systems in driving passkey adoption and the importance of accessibility in developing a new standard.

Oct 4, 2023 • 35min
86. From consistency to contribution: How design systems grow trees with Jay Smith at REI
Jay Smith, a systems thinker at REI, discusses the secrets of their design system consistency, including their groundbreaking approach to design, colors, and tokens. They also explore how the system grows with contributors and trees are planted. They discuss the challenges of designing a complex system, determining context and structure, fostering a culture of contribution, and using design systems to ensure consistent user experiences.

Sep 27, 2023 • 30min
85. Driving speed and consistency: The power of design systems in startups with Jamie Totten at Klue
Jamie Totten, UX Engineer at Klue, discusses the challenges and benefits of implementing a design system in a fast-paced startup. They emphasize the importance of voluntary commitment, maintaining positivity, and making the most with limited resources. They also explore the significance of attention to detail, adherence to standards, and building strong relationships between design, engineering, and product teams.

Sep 21, 2023 • 40min
84. Digital typography: Suggesting, not dictating with Juli Sombat at Spotify and Jason Pamental at Chewy
Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Chris Strahl sits with Juli Sombat from Spotify and Jason Pamental from Chewy as they unravel the evolution of digital typography, emphasizing the shift from dictation to suggestion. They explore the dynamic between designers and users and the transformative power of user customization.View the transcript of this episode here.Register here for our upcoming webinar, ‘What Really Matters in Design Systems’ on October 25th.GuestsJuli Sombat is the design lead for Encore, Spotify’s family of design systems. Her passion for cross-functional collaboration and her deep understanding of the principles and practices that underpin successful design systems help her evangelize for systems thinking at all levels. Prior to Encore, she led the multi-brand design system at Conde Nast.Jason Pamental is a Principal Designer at Chewy working on their design system, an Invited Expert on the W3C’s Web Fonts Working Group, and a deeply nerdy fan of variable fonts and web typography. Or just another hack with a camera phone, walking around at sunrise posting pictures of a really photogenic collie.Link to the Monotype article Jason wrote: https://labs.monotype.com/caseco-a-case-for-variable-fonts-2d86960a0c19HostChris 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.Sponsored by Knapsack, the design system platform that brings teams together. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.

Sep 13, 2023 • 35min
83. Breaking silos and enhancing teamwork in design systems with Tony Pantello and Chris Henke at Accutech
Tony Pantello, Senior UI/UX Designer, and Chris Henke, Senior UI/UX Developer, discuss breaking silos and enhancing teamwork in design systems. They explore the collaboration between design and development teams, the challenges of building a design system, and the importance of understanding ROI in design systems implementation. They also emphasize the significance of collaboration and democratization in design systems, advocating for real-time collaboration between designers and developers.

Sep 6, 2023 • 31min
82. Design system revamp: Unpacking Monster's UX odyssey with Billea Breen
Send us feedback or episode suggestions.Chris Strahl and Billea Breen explore the essential interaction between design and development to craft a flawless user experience, offering tactics to maintain consistency and enhance workflows.View the transcript of this episode here.Register here for our upcoming webinar, ‘What Really Matters in Design Systems’ on October 25th. GuestMeet Billea, the Senior UX Designer at Monster who weaves tech magic into seamless user experiences. With a knack for bridging design and development and a passion for strong foundations, she crafts digital solutions that resonate with all users.HostChris 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.Sponsored by Knapsack, the design system platform that brings teams together. Learn more at knapsack.cloud.
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