Building a Unified Design System for an Australian Tech Consultancy
SSW is a software consultancy with multiple internal tools, each managed by different teams. The goal? Create a shared design system that actually gets used — across designers, devs, and products.
Note: Still in progress, but already shaping how teams build, scale, and stay consistent.
Australian-based tech consultancy with multiple product teams
Software Consulting
Internal Tooling
DesignOps
Challenge
Each internal product team had their own version of components — slightly different buttons, modals, toasts, and tables. Over time, this led to fragmented UX, duplicated code, and inconsistent front-end delivery.
The challenge:
Build a shared design system that brought clarity and consistency — without blocking delivery or creating more process overhead.
Results (so far)
Unified core components and foundational styles across tools
Reduced design–dev friction and duplicated front-end effort
Enabled faster onboarding and better handoff
Turned a static Figma library into a living, evolving system
Process
Audit & Alignment
Audited internal tools to map UI inconsistencies and duplicated patterns
Focused on high-usage components like buttons, modals, toasts, and tables
Partnered with devs to understand where front-end misalignment was slowing down delivery
System Foundation & Components
Defined foundational styles: colour tokens, spacing, typography, iconography
Built a Figma component library with defined states, accessibility logic, and interaction flows
Prioritised shared components that impacted multiple teams right away
Documentation & Developer Handoff
Established naming conventions and usage rules for clarity in Figma and code
Collaborated with devs to match tokens to Tailwind variables and design specs
Added real-world usage examples and edge case patterns to help guide adoption
Cross-Team Rollout
Ran design/dev alignment sessions to co-create the system and gather feedback
Shared async documentation and adoption stories to help new teams plug in
Ensured components weren’t just designed — they were used in actual updates
My Role
I’m co-leading this initiative alongside other designers — acting as both a system builder and a bridge between design, dev, and product.
Component strategist — designing flexible, accessible, reusable pieces
Dev-aware designer — mapping styles and logic into production
Alignment engine — creating buy-in, not bottlenecks
Conclusion
The development of the mobile health tracking app demonstrated the importance of balancing functionality and usability in app design. By focusing on creating an intuitive and engaging user experience, we were able to support users in achieving their health goals and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. The app's success underscores the value of thoughtful design and user-centric development in the health and wellness industry.