CapitalOne
CapitalOne Software needed the development and implementation of a scalable design system and cross-functional collaboration efforts to drive measurable improvements in design system adoption, user retention, and team efficiency. The project involved partnering with designers, developers, and product managers to align design efforts with organizational OKRs, streamline workflows, and elevate design quality across enterprise products.
Client
CapitalOne Software
Role
Principal Product Designer
Year
2025
Category
Design Systems
The Problem
The organization faced several challenges:
Low Design System Adoption: Existing design components were inconsistently used, leading to fragmented user experiences and inefficiencies in design-to-development handoffs.
Misaligned Priorities: Cross-functional teams were working in silos, resulting in misaligned product roadmaps and missed high-impact opportunities.
Inconsistent Design Quality: Variability in visual and interaction design across products created a disjointed user experience.
Inefficient Collaboration: Lack of standardized communication and engagement strategies led to duplicated efforts and reduced cross-team efficiency.
Goals
Increase Design System Adoption: Drive widespread adoption of the design system to improve consistency and efficiency.
Streamline Workflows: Reduce design-to-development handoff time and improve cross-team collaboration.
Enhance User Retention: Prioritize high-impact opportunities in the product roadmap to improve user retention.
Elevate Design Quality: Set a high bar for visual, interaction, and systems design to deliver cohesive and polished user experiences.
Foster Skill Development: Mentor team members and promote knowledge sharing to build a stronger design culture.
Constraints
Time: Tight deadlines to deliver measurable improvements in alignment with quarterly OKRs.
Resources: Limited bandwidth for design and engineering teams to overhaul existing processes.
Stakeholder Buy-In: Convincing cross-functional teams to adopt new tools and workflows required significant effort.
Scalability: Ensuring the design system could accommodate future product needs without becoming overly complex.
Themes
Scalability: Building a design system that could grow with the organization’s evolving needs.
Collaboration: Fostering alignment and communication across cross-functional teams.
Consistency: Establishing a cohesive design language to improve user experience and brand perception.
Efficiency: Reducing design-to-development handoff time and improving team productivity.
Quality: Elevating design craft to deliver polished and user-centric experiences.
Process
Research & Discovery:
Conducted audits of existing design components and workflows.
Identified pain points in design-to-development handoffs through interviews with designers and developers.
Analyzed user retention data to pinpoint high-impact opportunities.
Strategy Development:
Partnered with Engineering Leads and product managers to align on priorities and influence product roadmaps.
Defined a scalable component strategy to enable greater composition opportunities across products.
Created guidelines and frameworks to standardize design practices.
Implementation:
Developed and documented reusable design system components.
Conducted workshops to onboard teams and drive adoption of the new system.
Established regular check-ins with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment.
Iteration & Improvement:
Monitored adoption metrics and gathered feedback to refine the design system.
Hosted monthly lunch-and-learn sessions to foster skill development and knowledge sharing.
Iterated on components and workflows based on team input and user data.
Outcomes
30% Improvement in Design System Adoption: Streamlined workflows and reusable components led to widespread adoption across teams.
20% Reduction in Design-to-Development Handoff Time: Clear documentation and standardized processes improved efficiency.
10% Increase in User Retention: Prioritizing high-impact opportunities in the product roadmap drove measurable improvements.
15% Improvement in Cross-Team Efficiency: Harmonized design efforts and better communication reduced duplicated work.
Elevated Design Craft: Set a high bar for visual, interaction, and systems design, improving overall product quality.
Lessons Learned
Challenges:
Gaining buy-in from stakeholders required clear communication of the design system’s value.
Balancing scalability with simplicity was an ongoing challenge.
Ensuring consistent adoption across teams demanded continuous support and education.
Learnings:
Collaboration is key: Involving cross-functional teams early and often ensured alignment and buy-in.
Documentation matters: Clear, accessible guidelines were critical for adoption and scalability.
Iteration is essential: Regular feedback loops allowed for continuous improvement of the design system.
Conclusion
By partnering with designers, developers, and product managers, the project aligned with organizational OKRs, streamlined processes, and elevated design quality. Key outcomes included a 30% improvement in design system adoption, a 20% reduction in design-to-development handoff time, a 10% increase in user retention, and a 15% boost in cross-team efficiency. Challenges included gaining stakeholder buy-in and ensuring scalability, while key learnings emphasized collaboration, clear documentation, and iterative improvement.
Next Steps:
Expand the design system to include more complex components and patterns.
Develop automated tools to further reduce design-to-development handoff time.
Conduct regular audits to ensure the design system remains aligned with evolving product needs.
Continue fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing through workshops and mentorship programs.
Explore opportunities to leverage AI and machine learning to enhance the design system’s capabilities.