Building a Design System? Start with a map

Building a system is not an easy task, but it is an enjoyable one. Discovering connections, creating new ones, improving the parts, and seeing the whole evolve in shape and purpose are some of the things that make it such an interesting project to work on.

In her incredible book, “Thinking in Systems”, Donella Meadows mentioned that there are 3 fundamental ideas that apply to a system: It’s pieces or stocks, the connections between these pieces and the purpose of the system.

This time, I will cover the first 2 ideas and share a successful way to identify the parts of a system and define and understand how they are connected. I am talking about building a design system map or system taxonomy.

Why a map?

“I wisely started with a map.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a map is a diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features, cities, roads, etc. If we abstract this concept a bit and bring it to the Design System arena, we can use it as a representation of the system itself, displaying information about it and allowing us to make better decisions when it comes to modifying, updating, and evolving our system.