Knapsack

?? A Tale of Two Tools: How Knapsack and Storybook Stack Up When we work with teams to determine if Knapsack is the right fit for their design system needs, one question comes up time and again: "Does Knapsack integrate with Storybook?" The short answer is "Yes", but that's only part of the story. While Storybook is a favorite among code-focused teams, Knapsack takes things further with its centralized, cross-functional platform that unifies design, development, and documentation. Many teams find themselves moving beyond Storybook as their systems mature. We break it all down in our latest blog. ? How Knapsack and Storybook complement each other ? A feature-by-feature comparison ? Why Knapsack is the ultimate solution for scalability and collaboration Curious to see how these tools stack up? Read the full post and let us know what you think. https://lnkd.in/gXMaiBbJ #DesignSystems #Knapsack #Storybook #CollaborationTools #UIUX #EnterpriseSolutions #DigitalProduction #DevTools

We just wrapped up another amazing leadership summit where we had the chance to dive deep into some of the most pressing topics in digital production and the future of design. A huge thank you to all of our attendees, panelists, and speakers for making it such a valuable and insightful experience! Some of the key takeaways include... ? Scaling Product Ecosystems We learned how to balance consistency, flexibility, and speed with insights from Alison Joseph, Elyse Holladay, and Adriana Morales. ???? The Evolving Role of Designers Nick Hahn led a discussion on how designers are shifting from creators to curators, and how AI and automation will impact the future of design careers. ? Design Systems’ Impact We explored the role of design systems in driving efficiency and consistency across digital experiences. This includes how companies like H-E-B are using design systems to solve real business problems and streamline workflows. ?? Hot Takes During our closing workshop, Alissa Lukovics, M.Ed, Nick Hahn, Robin Cannon, and Scott Strubberg facilitated group sharing of some great ideas on how to enhance collaboration, improve adoption, and measure success... memes included, of course. And here’s some cool, not-so-typical stuff that came up: ?? Design-Dev Translation There’s real value in people who can “speak both languages.” This ties directly to how we’re using Knapsack to bridge gaps and enable collaboration between design and engineering teams. ?? Beyond ROI Design systems aren’t just about efficiency—they’re about making work better. Some "soft wins" include: Happier, more aligned teams Empowering quieter folks to contribute Positive vibes across teams Collaboration that’s actually fun! ??? Real-World Accessibility Some eye-opening thoughts on how accessibility isn’t just passing automated checks: Components might pass tests on their own but break when combined. Screen reader users experience sites in ways we often overlook. Actual user testing (shoutout to H-E-B for using Fable) > relying solely on automation. From group discussions to personal reflections, it is ALWAYS inspiring to connect with such a passionate community of design, engineering, and product professionals. Thank you, Austin! ?? ?? Looking forward to continuing the conversation and pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve together in digital production. Let’s keep the momentum going - Next up, ATL here we come! Apply for the next summit here: https://lnkd.in/e2_YDeKW

Some fun thoughts around the definition of components and patterns coming out of an excellent Knapsack Design Systems Leadership Summit this week in Austin. Alison Joseph talked about how IBM Carbon used to define it that a component has code, and a pattern doesn't. But also that that definition doesn't really work any more. I mused that perhaps we could extend this a little - a component is something where the implementation is under technical constraints, and a pattern is something where implementation is under governance constraints. Later in the day, Matthew Cunningham was asking a broader question about the extent which design systems address UI or UX. So I also wondered if we might distinguish along the lines that components are UI, and patterns are UX. I'll write at more length with some more conclusions at some point soon, but thought this was a useful thought provoker in the meantime!

Reflecting on all the collaboration, learning, and fun at Knapsack's Design System Summit in Austin last week. I had a great time facilitating a session with DS badasses Nick Hahn, Scott Strubberg, and Robin Cannon!

?? Ever wondered about the real ROI of a design system and how to articulate it? It’s a topic that comes up often at our in-person events and one we’ve explored in-depth on the Design Systems Podcast. Our Design System ROI Calculator makes figuring it out easy—and even fun! Just ask Brad Frost: “This Design System ROI Calculator by Knapsack is fun. It’s often tough to quantify the benefits a design system provides, so things like this are helpful even as a conversation starter.” With adjustable sliders for employee costs and efficiency gains, the calculator shows exactly how Knapsack can drive cost savings and streamline workflows. Plus, check out the Time Savings by Component feature to dig deeper. ?? knapsack.cloud/calculator #DesignSystems #ROI #Knapsack

Did you miss our weekly live demo yesterday? You can watch a recording of our demo any time you like. Don't forget to share it with your team. ?? Watch the demo https://lnkd.in/gVWRZAP4

How does a design system drive value across an entire organization? Knapsack’s unified platform empowers digital teams to streamline workflows, deliver consistent, high-quality products, and innovate at scale—all while building a foundation for the future. Here’s how Knapsack fuels real value creation for digital production teams: ?? Unify Teams and Tools – Centralize workflows to reduce inefficiencies and bring developers, designers, and product managers into one collaborative workspace. ?? Scale with Consistency – Knapsack’s multi-workspace support and flexible “System of Systems” architecture adapt to complex, multi-brand organizations, enabling consistent, tailored experiences across markets and regions. ?? Deliver Reliable, High-Quality Production – Production-ready components and prototyping features enable fast, high-quality releases that enhance customer experiences. ?? Future-Ready for AI – Knapsack sets the stage for AI-driven workflows and personalization, positioning your organization for the next generation of digital production and a competitive edge. Ready to see how Knapsack can transform your digital production operations? Read the full article and discover how to build scalable, high-impact digital production systems. ?? Transforming Digital Production: How Knapsack Creates Lasting Organizational Value ?? https://lnkd.in/gFnNtf8P

How Knapsack celebrated Halloween. ?? Enjoy!! #halloween #costumes #knapsack

?? Developers want to focus on what they do best—building innovative products. The reality is that, too often, they get bogged down with tedious documentation or derailed by disjointed workflows and tool switching. Knapsack changes the game by creating a unified, streamlined environment supporting the efficient, collaborative, and enjoyable development of digital products. Didn’t think it was possible, did you? ???? Here’s how Knapsack makes the development experience for engineers better. 1?? Unified Environment? 2?? Automated documentation? 3?? Easy discovery and tool integration 4?? Seamless deployment 5?? Reduced QA issues Read the full blog post to discover how Knapsack can help you!. ?https://lnkd.in/gQrbURBp #Developers #Knapsack #DigitalTransformation #DigitalProduction #DesignSystems

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of joining a panel with Chris Strahl, Nathan Curtis, and Tony Pantello at Knapsack's DC Design System Leadership Summit, where we explored the evolving challenges in design systems. Topics ranged from scaling system governance and automation opportunities to driving adoption through meaningful community engagement. During the Q&A, one question stood out: When are deviations from a design system worth it, and how best to govern those choices? At T. Rowe Price, our team’s involvement in application design reviews helps stakeholders weigh these trade-offs, considering that each change incurs costs in design, development, and testing. For minor adjustments, we recommend following system standards and capturing feedback for future updates; however, significant gaps may justify custom solutions. For smaller design system teams within larger organizations, balancing this involvement can be tough—perhaps a point for leadership consideration if “snowflakes” are common despite a robust system. Brian Dorsey from Mastercard also shared valuable insights, particularly around using Net Promoter Score (NPS) to gauge satisfaction—a practical metric for assessing broad user experience, especially when adoption metrics can be challenging to gather and don’t always tell the full story. It was interesting to hear how community contributions shifted from core components to enhancement-driven feedback as their system matured, underscoring InnerSourcing’s role in scaling. One of the forums touched on the importance of?documenting not just design specifications but also the reasoning and research behind them. Capturing the “why” alongside the “how” creates a powerful resource, promoting consistency and fostering shared understanding across teams. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from such talented peers. Engaging with fellow design system leaders continually reinforces the importance of both people and process in scaling sustainable front-end design and development. #DesignSystems #Leadership #CommunityEngagement #Scaling #UserExperience #InnerSourcing