Uplifting a Large Scale Design System
summary
A design-language uplift for Polaris updates the admin UI: it switches the primary action color from green to black, raises component coverage from 49% to 86.6% coverage, and applies new styles across the product in 10 weeks after eight months of exploration. Changes include denser layouts, smaller type set to Enter typeface, tactile buttons with label motion, 1.5px icon outlines, a “Snappy” motion curve, developer-built prototypes, and coordination with dozens of teams and marketing.
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chapters (9)
- 0:00Context and motivation
- 2:54Defining the design direction
- 7:08Team exploration phase
- 12:29Refining core elements
- 19:25Color and stakeholder buy-in
- 23:07Review process and narrative
- 28:42Execution and implementation
- 34:45Lessons and closing
- 37:16Q&A session
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