Leading the Vison of a Design System

Project Plan

About the Company
Rockwell Automation is a Fortune 500 company and a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation providing innovative services to help manufacturers optimize their operations and achieve better business outcomes. With a strong reputation for quality, the company is committed to driving progress in the manufacturing industry and enabling customers to be more productive, sustainable, and globally competitive.

Objectives

Vision Statement
Our goal in creating the Rockwell Design System is to provide Rockwell Automation software teams with a unified framework for developing quality, user-centered products that align with brand standards for styling, workflow, and user experience. By implementing this design system, we aim to streamline the development process and ensure consistent, cohesive user experiences across all of Rockwell Automation's software products.

1. Replicate Design
Enable teams building high-quality products the ability to replicate design system elements quickly at scale.

2. Providing Resources
Alleviate resource strain by providing patterns, resources, and specifications.

3. Unification
Create a unified language within and between cross-functional teams though detailed specifications.

4. Visual Consistency
Create visual consistency across products, channels, and departments by providing a single source of truth.

5. Guidelines
Serve as a guide and resource for internal and external content contributors

6. Accessibility
Ensure the design system and contributions are inclusive and meet a minimum of WCAG 2.1 AA requirements.

This design system significantly improves the efficiency and consistency of our product development. It has allowed for a shared language and understanding among teams, resulting in faster iteration, better collaboration, and ultimately, a better user experience.

Team Organization

Our Centralized Design Team improved speed and efficiency and allowed for effective implementation across products.

Designing the System

As the creative lead, I played a crucial role in designing the Rockwell Design System. Starting from foundational elements and advancing to complex components like buttons and tabs, I led the team in establishing a scalable, flexible, and consistent framework. Through my leadership, we created a comprehensive design system that empowers software teams to rapidly develop high-quality, user-centered products while maintaining a cohesive user experience.

Outcomes

The design system has yielded substantial positive ROI since its implementation. We have seen continuous reduction in design and development costs, improving our time-to-market for new products. As the system has been adopted, we have seen a significant increase in the consistency and quality of user experiences across all Rockwell Automation products.

The design kit has also been widely adopted by others throughout the organization, providing a valuable resource for creating consistent and high-quality user interfaces that align with brand standards.