xMatters Design System

When xMatters transitioned from Sketch to Figma, the team had no design system in place. This created compounding problems: UI inconsistencies confused users, awkward UX patterns emerged across features, and designers lacked clear guidance on which components and patterns to use. Design velocity suffered as teams repeatedly solved the same problems in different ways.

My approach centered on establishing both the system and the practice. Beyond building and refining components in Figma, I cultivated a collaborative process for design system governance:

• Pattern archaeology: Regularly audited the product to identify inconsistent UI patterns and usage variations

• Collaborative resolution: Facilitated team discussions to evaluate competing patterns and reach consensus on best approaches

• Systematic evolution: Deprecated outdated patterns while documenting the rationale and migration path forward

• Living documentation: Maintained clear guidance on when and how to use each component

Documentation lives in same space as component

This work established both the technical infrastructure (the Figma component library) and the cultural practice (how we collectively maintain design consistency). Designers gained confidence in their decisions, development handoffs became clearer, and users experienced greater consistency across the platform.