Case Study: IBM Sprout
The birth of the Carbon Design System.
We set out to create a unified user experience and forever changed the way IBM would design and develop products at scale.
Results
3 mos.
Saved per team
$350k
Saved per team
Sprout accomplishments:
- The first component design system for IBM and one of the first full-stack component design systems.
- One of the main Design Systems to propel the movement for corporations to shift to a unified component design model.
- Evolved into the Carbon Design System, one of the best known design systems in the world.
Role
Product owner, Design lead
The problem
As IBM was transforming itself to an agile business, there was still a fundamental problem with the way they approached design and development at scale. Each team was creating their own experience, their own code and using their own data which resulted in a disjointed experience for users and incredible inefficiency for the business.
The solution
Working with Global Brand leadership and the founder of the IBM Studio, I led a multi-disciplinary team that established a solution to address the entire development ecosystem, an organizational model for teams and governance, a roadmap for implementation, key metrics, desired outcomes and an MVP of the component library.
From 3 months to 30 minutes.
The initial component set and full-stack framework radically acclerated the way teams created new products allowing a team to setup a new environment with core components in less that 30 minutes.
Early exploration.
Our early designs were in code and intended to convey a clear sensibility of simplicity, elegance and function that would work at scale.
Balance
As we developed the system we examined the relationship between unity and consistency with the need for innovation and speed to market.
Education
When rolling out the program it was critical to explain the need for a system to exist as well as the benefits and responsibilities it creates for every user that touches it.
Outcomes
Establishing clear and measurable outcomes was critical to drive the creation, evolution and growth of the design system as value for the business.
Governance & organization
As we prepared the system to scale, we established the structure and relationships that needed to exist for a system to grow and operate at scale.