CASE STUDY
Designing for Simplicity and Consistency at Scale
Overview
As a product designer, I led efforts to improve the usability and consistency of our software through a well-crafted design system. This initiative focused on making the product feel intuitive for users while also improving development efficiency and design cohesion across the platform.
Problem
Over time, as the product evolved and more designers joined the team, inconsistencies in layout, interaction patterns, and visual styles began to create friction for users and inefficiencies for the team. Developers were often rebuilding similar components from scratch. We needed a solution that would bring clarity to the experience and streamline the design-to-development process. Another goal was to make it easier for new product designers to ramp up quickly.
Approach
Build a Scalable, Human-Centered Design System
Research & Audit
- Conducted a UX audit to identify inconsistencies across core workflows and application pages.
- Reviewed customer support tickets and user session recordings to understand points of confusion.
- Mapped patterns that were repeated with small variations, adding unnecessary complexity.
Design Principles
We defined three core principles to guide our design system:
- Simplicity – Minimize cognitive load through clean, familiar patterns.
- Clarity – Ensure users always understand what’s happening and what to do next.
- Consistency – Reuse patterns across the app to reduce learning time and development cost.
System Creation
- Developed a flexible, token-based design system in Figma, covering components, layout grids, iconography, colors, patterns and typography.
- Worked closely with engineering to mirror the system in code using shared libraries.
- Built usage guidelines to support adoption across teams.
My Role
- Led the UX audit and defined the design system strategy
- Team designed and documented core components in Figma
- Partnered with engineering to ensure high-fidelity implementation
- Facilitated adoption across product teams through workshops and training
Being on the support team, we hear about all of the pain points and issues of the product, but the one thing we ALWAYS heard was how much people LOVE the UX/UI that Heather and team were responsible for. Even when things weren't working quite right, people went out of their way to describe how much they loved the interface, a testament to Heather!
Heather also partnered with the CS team in a way that I've never experienced with other members of a product team. She would continually reach out to customers and tap on the CS team for insight to see where improvements could be made. She was never above jumping on a call with a customer to understand how to make their experience even 1% better.
I can't recommend Heather enough! She WILL continue to be a difference maker on any team."
Results & Key Insights
- Reduced design-to-dev handoff time by 40%.
- Developers reported higher confidence and less rework due to clear specs and reusable components.
- New feature development accelerated thanks to a unified component library.
- The app felt more cohesive and easier to use, validated through customer feedback.
Customer Feedback Highlights
"Easy to use, key app in our tool stack."
"Love the layout. It's simple but effective."
“Super user friendly and helps us get more done.”
"So user friendly it's ridiculous."
"It's amazing! All the tools, all in one place!"
"Love how it keeps everything organized and I know exactly what I need to focus on for my week!”
"Love it. Very engaging." "Amazingly simple, yet powerful."
Impact
This work didn’t just polish the product, it created a foundation. It helped us deliver a consistently great experience at scale, made future features easier and quicker to design and build, and significantly reduced confusion for users. The overwhelmingly positive user feedback confirmed that thoughtful, consistent design truly drives value.