We’re consolidating our design system Figma libraries into one master library at Grammarly. I’m considering documenting the process here and then translating it into a blog post. Would anyone be interested in following along? - ThreadSky

msteinruck.bsky.social • 89 days ago

We’re consolidating our design system Figma libraries into one master library at Grammarly.

I’m considering documenting the process here and then translating it into a blog post. Would anyone be interested in following along?

Comments

loftsky.bsky.social•88 days ago

Are you combining something like components and patterns or dark and light modes? I combined dark & light for our system early on when Figma released variables. There were some challenges, but it was well worth the effort. Keeping multiple libraries in synch was a pain.

msteinruck.bsky.social•87 days ago

Yep, all of that. All styles, variables + modes, components, icons, illustrations, etc.

iknowdavehouse.bsky.social•88 days ago

I can only imagine how good this would feel. I recently wrote up a lot of the issues with multiple library layers of using variables https://iknowdavehouse.medium.com/a-mode-too-far-28eaa822df65 but I can’t help thinking I’d be swapping one problem for another? All the reasons for splitting by concern are still there?

msteinruck.bsky.social•87 days ago

Ohhh, I’ll check out your article. Variables and specifically modes are one of the challenges we’re recognizing.

iknowdavehouse.bsky.social•87 days ago

A single library would certainly solve the management / release problems of variables… I guess the main issue is the initial and ongoing performance. These files never forget so get worse over time. Certainly worth a test though, very interested!

heitortilla.bsky.social•88 days ago

Yes 🙌

kylehyams.design•88 days ago

Yes and especially if it will cover variable management (e.g. file migration)

msteinruck.bsky.social•87 days ago

This will be a big part of it! I’ve been running tests to see if it’s possible to keep things connected during migration. I’ll document lessons learned along the way.

kylehyams.design•87 days ago

Cool! I’m in a similar situation as well.

maehemm.bsky.social•84 days ago

Would love to see how you get on - it's basically something I'm going to have to tackle soon so any pointers would be helpful! 😅

pjonori.com•88 days ago

Yup!

onurorhon.com•88 days ago

Absolutely!

iamsteelen.bsky.social•88 days ago

intemperie.me•88 days ago

Yes! I’m particularly interested in why you decided to consolidate them 😊

msteinruck.bsky.social•87 days ago

I’ll certainly cover this along the way, but the short answer is variable management, creating a better designer experience, and ability for better testing prior to publishing updates.

intemperie.me•87 days ago

Thanks! I’m very curious to learn more 😊

bennyhudson.bsky.social•88 days ago

I’m presuming repetition between sub-libraries?

deanleigh.bsky.social•88 days ago

💯

curiouschaos.com•88 days ago

Yes, and specifically how you'll handle performance

guysegal.bsky.social•88 days ago

☝️

msteinruck.bsky.social•87 days ago

We ran an initial test just dumping everything into the file and found a nominal increase in memory usage. We’ll make some concessions of what lives in the file to keep it lean, but optimizing for this is definitely on our minds. I’ll include it in the process documentation.

julzmon.bsky.social•88 days ago

Yeah, and what is in those libraries?

msteinruck.bsky.social•87 days ago

Variables + modes, styles, effects, core components and product-area specific components, icons, and illustrations. (I feel like I’m missing something, but that about covers it.)

julzmon.bsky.social•87 days ago

Reason I was asking, I have a new gig which they separated each component into it’s own file.

disorganizedcrime.bsky.social•88 days ago

Yes

toddmorey.bsky.social•88 days ago

How many libraries are you starting with?

msteinruck.bsky.social•87 days ago

Four main libraries merged into one. Some components from other libraries may also be pulled in, but I don’t consider those to be main DS libraries.

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