Design System Governance And Tokens
Use When
- Multiple teams consume shared UI primitives
- Brand or accessibility updates must roll out safely
Workflow
- Define token taxonomy for color, spacing, typography, and motion
- Establish component API contracts and deprecation policy
- Add visual regression and accessibility checks in CI
- Plan migration paths for breaking component changes
- Document contribution and review workflow
Required Checks
- Tokens are single source of truth
- Breaking changes include migration guide
- Accessibility checks run on shared components
- Bundle impact tracked for design system releases
Decision Framework
- Prefer composable primitives over one-off variants
- Version design system packages independently when needed
- Use codemods or adapters for large migrations
- Align tokens with platform themes (light/dark/high-contrast)
Common Rationalizations And Rebuttals
- "Teams can fork components when blocked." -> Fragmentation and inconsistency grow quickly.
- "Visual polish can come after launch." -> Rework cost is higher than early consistency.
- "Design tokens are optional." -> Inconsistent UI scales poorly across products.
Evidence Pack
- Token changelog and migration notes
- Visual regression report
- Accessibility audit for shared components
- Adoption metrics across product areas
Exit Criteria
- Design system changes are safe and predictable
- Teams ship consistent UI faster
