How do you create design standards for your team?

1 Assess your needs

The first step is to assess your team's needs and goals for creating design standards. What are the problems or challenges you want to solve or prevent with design standards? Who are your users and stakeholders, and what are their expectations and preferences? How do you measure the success and impact of your design standards? What are the existing design practices and resources in your team and organization, and how can you leverage or improve them? By answering these questions, you can define the scope, purpose, and objectives of your design standards.

2 Research and benchmark

The next step is to research and benchmark the best practices and examples of design standards in your industry and domain. You can look at how other teams and organizations have created and implemented design standards, and what are the benefits and challenges they have faced. You can also analyze the design trends and patterns that are relevant and suitable for your products and services, and how they align with your brand identity and values. By doing this, you can gain inspiration and insights for your own design standards, and avoid reinventing the wheel or copying others.

3 Collaborate and co-create

The third step is to collaborate and co-create your design standards with your team and other stakeholders. Design standards are not something that you can create in isolation or impose on others. They require the input and feedback of the people who will use them and benefit from them. You can involve your team and stakeholders in different ways, such as workshops, surveys, interviews, or reviews, to gather their opinions, ideas, and suggestions. You can also prototype and test your design standards with real users, to validate their usability and effectiveness.

4 Document and communicate

The fourth step is to document and communicate your design standards in a clear, concise, and accessible way. You can use different formats and tools, such as style guides, component libraries, design systems, or wikis, to organize and present your design standards. You should also explain the rationale and benefits of your design standards, and provide examples and guidelines on how to use them. You should also communicate your design standards to your team and stakeholders, and provide training and support if needed.

5 Implement and enforce

The fifth step is to implement and enforce your design standards in your projects and processes. You should integrate your design standards into your workflow and tools, and make them easy to access and apply. You should also monitor and measure the compliance and performance of your design standards, and provide feedback and recognition to your team and stakeholders. You should also enforce your design standards consistently and fairly, and address any issues or conflicts that may arise.

6 Review and update

The final step is to review and update your design standards regularly and iteratively. Design standards are not static or fixed, but dynamic and evolving. You should keep track of the changes and trends in your industry and domain, and the needs and preferences of your users and stakeholders. You should also collect and analyze the data and feedback on your design standards, and identify the strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats. You should then revise and improve your design standards accordingly, and communicate the changes to your team and stakeholders.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?