Don't Build a Design System Until You See These 3 Signals

Don't Build a Design System Until You See These 3 Signals

From A Digital Strategy Podcast by Tennis

June 5, 2026 · 14 min · Episode 48

About this episode

Symon and Marcello discuss the signals indicating readiness for a design system and the importance of user adoption.

The worst design system project is one that starts too early. Wrong timing, wrong scope, wrong people and it dies in a folder somewhere, untouched. In this episode, Symon and Marcello break down the three signals that tell you you're actually ready for a design system, the two signs you're definitely not, and how to scope a version one that people will actually use. They also cover the build or buy decision, and why adoption matters more than architecture. This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on design systems.

People in this episode

Host: Symon

Guest: Marcello

Topics covered

  • design systems
  • project management
  • user adoption
  • scoping
  • build vs buy

Keywords

  • design system
  • signals
  • project scope
  • user adoption
  • build or buy

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