Design Systems Bootcamp, Part One

I know. It’s been a while, but I have a lot to talk about. In the last month I am not only halfway through my design systems camp, but I’ve also started a rather large freelancing contract. It’s extremely exciting to finally put more than one job between me and my art direction days. I feel as though I’m finally gaining respect and momentum in the UX/product field.

But what you’ve really been waiting for is an update on my class with Memorisely.

I promised I would write several, but four weeks in and this is where we are. I admit to being overwhelmed by class and my homework assignments, on top of my nearly-full time freelance work, but I’ve learned so much that it’s important I start sharing.

This might get a bit long, so I’ll try to break it up:

• Foundations & Figma

• The Nitty Gritty

• Is it worth it?

Foundations & Figma

If you are interested in design systems, I cannot recommend reading Laying the Foundations enough. It is absolutely essential to getting started and expanding your viewpoint of what a system is, what it can do for you and your team, and how to successfully implement one. It is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a neverending uphill challenge, but the rewards are great.

In just a few short weeks, we’ve covered the basics of a design system, setting one up in Figma, learning new vocabulary essential to this specialty, and began working on our own case studies for graduation. I was adept with Figma before the class, but the course has inspired me and given me even more ways to work and organize information. (A vital component of design systems.) I’ve seen, at scale, how Figma can operate when set up successfully. How you can change the theme of an entire canvas from light to dark or different brand, whatever you want really.

I can’t stress enough how impressed I am with how much ground we’ve covered so quickly.

The Nitty Gritty

What am I actually working on? We have about 4 hours of class a week, and in addition to that I spend around 8 hours on my case study (minimum.) Many students in class are working on systems they use daily, while others are working with IKEA (which is the class-appointed brand). I chose instead to pursue categorizing and improving CodeCademy, which is an online learning platform dedicated to learning to code. It’s been around for a long time, and it’s a good test of my skills to categorize and organize the current platform into a sustainable and scalable system.

That manifests in reality as me deciding on a specific user journey instead of looking at the site holistically (which would be almost impossible in an 8 week timeframe.) I can focus on very specific components that need streamlining, documenting, or improvement, without getting bogged down by too many details. When you’re working with an existing system, it often can start like this. You tackle the most important things and adjust as you go.

Is it worth it?

Halfway in and I can confidently say: if you are interested in design systems, this is a wonderful and enlightening course to take. It’s an immense value and a boon to both newcomers and anyone currently struggling with implementing a system in their current workplace. My instructors are both wonderful, not just as people but as teachers. They’ve been extremely thorough and positive and I’m grateful for all the feedback and advice they’ve given me.

Hope it won’t take another 4 weeks for me to check back in with the results! (And my cert of completion!)