Akido Labs: Design Systems
Background
At Akido Labs, the design team encountered challenges in maintaining a cohesive product design language, especially with the impending launch of the Patient Encounter app. The existing design system lacked scalability for our expanding product roadmap. To address this, we undertook a comprehensive overhaul, revamping colors, brand elements, and component scalability. The absence of clear design guidance resulted in designers spending excessive time recreating UI elements, while developers constantly sought design team assistance for font, style, and color guidance. These challenges underscored the urgent need for a robust design system to streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and ensure consistency across all Akido Labs products.e
Approach
Our approach began with auditing the existing design system and interviewing stakeholders to pinpoint pain points. We discovered inconsistencies in Figma files and a poorly documented style guide, emphasizing the need for a structured system. In the exploration phase, I delved into industry-leading design systems, identifying atomic design principles and color token usage. To simplify and standardize design elements, I proposed a single font family for typography and a unified icon set. This comprehensive approach aimed to reduce noise and inconsistencies, laying the groundwork for a more streamlined design system.
Overview
The Akido Design System 3.0, our latest UI Frontend, has been custom-built to create scalable components tailored for the Akido EHR care system. Its primary objective is to develop components that are easy to implement and maintain, ensuring seamless integration and efficient development within the EHR environment.
My Role
As the lead designer for the Akido Design System 3.0 project, I spearheaded the creation of a comprehensive design system from inception to implementation. My responsibilities included developing new design components and establishing design guidelines to ensure consistency and scalability across the Akido EHR care platform. I worked closely with engineers, effectively communicating design specifications and collaborating on the integration of components into the system. Additionally, I facilitated the seamless transition of the new design system components into existing designs, ensuring continuity and enhancing the overall user experience
Outcome
The implementation of our new design system led to notable improvements across our design workflow. By leveraging reusable components and variants, we witnessed an increase in design output while reducing the hours spent on individual UI updates. Standardizing typography and icons facilitated seamless handoff to the frontend engineering team, enhancing collaboration and expediting development timelines. Additionally, the creation of comprehensive design guidelines provided the design team with a valuable reference, fostering cohesion and reducing confusion in design iterations. These outcomes collectively contributed to a more efficient and cohesive design process, resulting in elevated productivity and a higher quality of design deliverables.