Design Systems for Consistency

A few years back, I proposed a "brilliant" idea to my leadership, and it got rejected. That day, I learnt what turns an idea into a funded project. 1. Find what matters to leadership and pitch that as the key advantage Your idea should tie directly into current business priorities, be it growth, efficiency, scalability, user retention, etc. Pitch it accordingly. If needed, tweak your idea to make that alignment stronger. 2. Show that you care, so do your homework well If others already believe in it, say so. Build a quick proof of concept or present a detailed idea, market study, potential impact, and execution plan. If you have support from some people, leverage it; remember, people trust ideas that others already back. 3. Understand who makes the decision and persuade them Map out the decision-makers and tailor your pitch to what matters most to them, not just to you. Persuade them and take early feedback. Keep them informed from the start, at t = 0. 4. Show why customers need it now, have proofs ready Have real signals ready, like user feedback, survey data, and public reviews. If it's an internal tool or system, bring quotes or examples from internal users that highlight the pain point and urgency. 5. Identify skeptics early and get them excited Every idea has potential detractors. Find them, talk to them, and bring them on board. For example, if you're proposing a new real-time analytics system, involve the team that owns the current analytics charter, as they're likely to push back. Their buy-in is essential, so get them on your side early. Hope this helps.

You great ideas will die without executive support. Here’s how to get it. (even when you have zero authority) Here's your playbook to sell your vision when no one reports to you: 1. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 ↪ Translate your idea into revenue, efficiency, or risk Say, "This initiative can reduce costs by 15% in Q3" ↪ Frame it through their lens Say, "Here's how this aligns with your strategic priority of..." 2. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗹𝗶���𝗶𝗼𝗻 ↪ Pre-sell to influential stakeholders Say, "I'd love your perspective on this approach before the meeting" ↪ Create momentum before the pitch Say, "Several team leads have already expressed interest in..." 3. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 ↪ Start small, prove value Say, "Let's test this with one team for 30 days" ↪ De-risk the decision Say, "We can validate the concept with minimal resource investment" 4. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼 ↪ Give them ownership of the vision Say, "Your support could transform how we approach..." ↪ Create space for their input Say, "I'd value your guidance on how to strengthen this further" 5. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 ↪ Align with budget cycles Say, "This could impact next quarter's objectives" ↪ Match organisational momentum Say, "As we're focusing on digital transformation, this initiative..." Remember: Authority isn't given, it's earned through trust and results. Your idea's success depends less on your title and more on how you position it. What's your best tip for getting executive buy-in? ↳ Share in the comments below 🔔 Follow Mostyn Wilson for more like this. __ Want fortnightly deep dives to make you even more successful? Try the Atomic Ambition newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eE287NTG

🥇 “How To Prioritize Design System Requests” (+ Figma templates) (https://lnkd.in/eTsVNdcU), a step-by-step approach to manage and prioritize requests in your design system — against reusability, product area, alternative solutions and effort, then to be reviewed, groomed and broken down into tasks by on-call squad. A practical case study by Alexander Fandén and the wonderful Agoda team. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 Guide + video: https://lnkd.in/e2x78wuC New component request (Figma): https://lnkd.in/ezxSbX8r Component improvement template (Figma): https://lnkd.in/e_4A_-a3 Icon request template (Figma): https://lnkd.in/erwnwAiZ Presentation + Notes: https://lnkd.in/e9UgB_Qc 🤔 As design teams grow, so do requests for the design system. 🤔 Different teams have conflicting needs → conflicting requests. 🤔 With 60 product teams, 1000 running A/B tests, time is critical. 🚫 Poor coordination → misaligned priorities, dropped requests. 🚫 If a design system can’t deliver on time, it’s a bottleneck. ✅ Set up a new board exclusively for feature requests. ✅ It’s organized by status and priorities (highest → lowest). ✅ 4 request types: features, visual assets, tokens, tooling. ✅ Set up problem statement/solution kits, Figma templates. ✅ Figma templates include design specs, use cases, context. ✅ Requests are scored (high → won’t fix) on 4 key criteria. ↳ Product area, Reusability, Alternative solutions, Effort. ✅ Set up rotating on-call squad: designer, engineer, PM, QA. ✅ Squad reviews requests, team grooms them every 2 weeks. ✅ Store tickets in separate boards for each scrum team. Personally, I love how simple yet well-structured the process is. Too often decisions are made based on the loudest voice in the room, without any workflow that prioritizes work that has the highest impact and the highest relevance for all product teams. This approach changes that. Plus, as Alexander noted, it’s important that stakeholders can track the progress by viewing the status of all linked tickets within the feature request. Also, they can also add themselves as watchers to receive automated updates on any changes or comments — along with automated Slack announcements. And: for any process to be followed, it’s not enough to make it easy to follow. What has been helpful is to also make sure that it’s difficult not to use it. That’s where templates in Jira and in Figma can help — and make sure that we don’t miss all the critical details, dependencies, variants and use cases. Kudos to the Agoda team for the fantastic work and sharing their insights and Figma templates in public! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 #ux #DesignSystems

Getting buy-in is one of the most underrated UX skills and ironically, it’s the one thing most juniors avoid because it feels like selling. But here’s the shift: Buy-in isn’t persuasion. It’s alignment. And you can do it without being pushy, political, or manipulative. Here’s the simple blueprint I teach my mentees (and use myself): 1️⃣ Start with their goal, not your idea Instead of leading with “I think we should redesign…” start with: “What’s the outcome we’re trying to drive?” When someone feels heard first, they’re far more open to the solution second. 2️⃣ Show the problem, not your preference Skip the “I like / I don’t like.” Lead with evidence: A user quote A friction point Data that signals a drop-off A pattern you observed in testing This shifts the conversation from opinion vs. opinion → shared problem vs. solution. 3️⃣ Present options not ultimatums People resist when they feel cornered. Try: “Here are two paths we can take. Want to walk through the trade-offs?” Giving choice = giving ownership. And ownership = buy-in. 4️⃣ Connect your idea to business impact The fastest way to lose buy-in is to stay in “design land.” Make it practical: “This reduces onboarding time.” “This lowers support tickets.” “This helps us hit the Q3 activation goal.” Speak their language and the conversation changes instantly. 5️⃣ Invite pushback early Nothing kills momentum like a surprise objection at the finish line. Instead: “Before we run with this, what concerns do you see?” This transforms critics into collaborators. 6️⃣ Close with clarity Always end with one crystal-clear next step: “Do we feel aligned on path A?” “Is this the direction you’d like me to move forward with?” “What’s the priority for this sprint?” Buy-in without a next step is just a nice conversation. This is how you get buy-in naturally not through pressure, but through partnership.

An uncomfortable fact: a design system is often not a priority for your manager or for the leaders of your company. They probably have at least two other bigger initiatives in their mind even before getting closer to the idea of starting a design system. That's normal. Getting buy-in for a design system is hard. Not sure how to start? Start small. Take baby steps and build a few components as an internal tool for building your next feature faster and more consistently. When the feature celebration is going on — that is the right time to take your manager's time and tell him: "Look, I have a thing to show you. We did something different on the product development this time and it accelerated the process". That's when you want to start talking about starting a design system practice in your company!

One Day or Day One! Digitalisation doesn’t fail because of technology. It fails because people weren’t brought in early enough. Too often, projects start with systems, tools, or automation dreams. But without people, it’s just software sitting idle. The better way? Start with design thinking. 1. Start with empathy • Sit with employees who live the process daily. • Listen to their frustrations with manual work. • Capture the small fixes they wish existed. 2. Map the process together • Whiteboard the actual steps, not the “ideal” ones. • Identify bottlenecks where files get stuck or approvals drag. • Highlight wasted time like chasing emails, printing forms, waiting for signatures. 3. Co-create the future state • Involve the same employees in sketching the “to-be” process. • This isn’t about fancy terms. It’s about showing: “With digitalisation, your workload drops here, and you gain time there.” 4. Get buy-in before rollout • Share quick wins through pilots. • Let users test and give feedback. • When people feel ownership, adoption follows naturally. Only after that should you bring in automation platforms like DocuWare to digitise and streamline. Digitalisation is not an IT project, it’s a people project supported by technology. The question for you is: Will this be “One Day” on your wish list? Or “Day One” where you start by involving your people first? Comments below!

When 5-Star Hotels Lose Their Sense of Place, They Lose Their Edge In ultra-luxury hospitality, the real competition is not other hotels but private villas, curated journeys, and entire destinations. To stand out, a five-star property must feel unmistakably rooted in its location. A recent survey by Fauchon L'Hôtel Paris among luxury travel advisors revealed that respondents overwhelmingly agreed that an authentic sense of place is more important to clients than a standardized brand design. Location and service remain the top decision factors, and guests most often recall the warmth of the service when they return home. This confirms what we see across the luxury industry: emotional connection is the true differentiator. The hotels that win are those that embrace their identity. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has built its philosophy on “A Sense of Place,” making every property a reflection of local history and culture. Aman Kyoto demonstrates how architecture, landscape, and rituals can create a unique serenity. Fogo Island Inn reinvests guest spending into its local community, turning hospitality into cultural stewardship. The ones that lose their way often over-standardize and over-promise. Copy-paste interiors, generic amenities, hidden fees, and vague sustainability claims erode trust. Luxury guests are too well-informed to accept shortcuts. A five-point playbook for exceptional luxury hospitality: 1) Root the design in the destination: work with local artisans and cultural voices so the property could not exist anywhere else. 2) Replace amenities with rituals: create signature experiences tied to the location’s stories, flavors, and traditions. 3) Empower staff as experience makers: hire for cultural awareness and emotional intelligence, then give them freedom to act. 4) Be transparent: show full pricing and deliver measurable sustainability results. 5) Balance brand standards with local expression: keep quality consistent while allowing each property to celebrate its unique identity. Even though I am not a hotel specialist, I have spent my life staying in five-star and palace hotels around the world. This perspective, combined with my work advising luxury brands across categories, allows me to help hospitality leaders elevate their value, sharpen their positioning, and craft experiences that truly resonate with High-Net-Worth clients. If you lead a five-star hotel or resort and want to refine your identity and guest journey, I can help you take the next step. #LuxuryHospitality #5StarHotels #SenseOfPlace #GuestExperience #LuxuryIdentity

🎨 Why Color Gamuts Can Differ Between Similar Offset Printing Machines Even two offset presses of the same model can produce slightly different color ranges — or gamuts. Here’s why: 1️⃣ Ink Formulation Different batches or brands of ink (CMYK or spot colors) have varying pigment properties. This affects color vibrancy, density, and the overall range of achievable hues. 2️⃣ Paper / Substrate Differences The whiteness and brightness of paper directly influence color appearance. Brighter paper reflects more light, expanding the perceived gamut. Yellowish or dull paper can limit the vibrancy of printed colors. 3️⃣ Press Calibration & Settings Color consistency depends on: Ink density control Press maintenance and roller condition Accurate calibration routines Even small deviations can shift color reproduction and reduce gamut uniformity. 4️⃣ Color Management & ICC Profiles Every press has its own ICC profile that defines its color gamut. If one printer uses a more advanced color management workflow (with better gamut mapping, proofing, and profiling), it will achieve a more accurate and wider gamut compared to a less optimized system. 5️⃣ Environmental Factors Temperature and humidity also play a role: High humidity → paper absorbs more ink → lower color vibrancy. Ink-water balance affects dot gain and color accuracy. 6️⃣ Printing Process Variations Plate quality impacts dot sharpness and tone consistency. Screening methods (AM vs. FM/Stochastic) influence how colors blend, thus affecting the effective gamut. ⚙️ Result Even two “identical” offset presses may show slightly different gamut boundaries, especially in highly saturated colors like deep blues or vivid reds. ✅ How to Minimize Gamut Differences Use the same ink brands and paper types across machines. Regularly calibrate both presses to identical standards. Create & apply machine-specific ICC profiles — update them when inks, paper, or press conditions change. Print test charts and compare gamuts with professional color measurement tools. Implement a robust Color Management System (CMS) such as X-Rite or GMG for precise gamut mapping. #Print #Printing #Color #eCarePackaging #RotoPrinting #ColorManagement #PackagingDesign

I borrowed a framework from luxury hotels. It completely changed how I approach design with clients. The hospitality industry has something architects often miss: ruthless positioning clarity. Smith Travel Research classifies every hotel brand into 6 tiers: Economy | Midscale | Upper Midscale | Upscale | Upper Upscale | Luxury Each tier has explicit programming requirements and ADR (Average Daily Rate) targets. What fascinates me: Marriott operates across all six tiers. A Fairfield Inn and a Ritz-Carlton are both Marriott, but they're never confused with each other. Why? Because positioning is locked before design begins. The pattern I sometimes observe in mixed-use developments: Projects often have architectural ambition but positioning ambiguity: → Premium finishes paired with mid-tier amenities. → Luxury pricing without luxury programming. → Five-star lobbies with three-star services. This creates confusion for buyers and for sales teams. What hospitality brands do differently: Before any design work, they ask three questions: → What tier are we competing in? → What programming is standard for that tier? → What pricing power does that tier command? Then they design to deliver that tier consistently. The principle applies to architecture: When positioning is clear from the start, every decision from amenity programming to finishes to pricing becomes easier to make. When it's ambiguous, projects drift. Budgets bloat. Sales teams struggle to explain value. What I learned from studying hospitality positioning: Success is not about being "the very best." It's about being unmistakably clear about what you are, then delivering it flawlessly. Hampton Inn doesn't try to compete with the Ritz-Carlton. They're both excellent at what they promise. Mixed-use developments should work the same way. Do you agree that positioning clarity gives us the advantage from the beginning? Image source: Martin Soler

Your design system documentation has a 3-week lag problem 👇 Designer updates the button → Developer ships it → Someone hopefully remembers to update the docs. The result? 🤯 → "Is this the latest version?" 12 times per sprint → Hours wasted hunting for correct specs → 30% of components still using old tokens months later Most teams try to solve this with better processes. More meetings. Stricter update cadences. Automated reminders. That's optimizing the wrong thing. The only way to kill latency is to connect your tools so they document themselves. ✨ Here is the automated design system documentation workflow: Figma (API + MCP) → AI reads specs (I used Claude Code) → Mintlify auto-deploys What gets automated: → Screenshot exports from Figma frames → Spec extraction (spacing, colors, tokens) → Documentation updates → Pull requests with visual diffs ✨ You can even set up GitHub Actions to check tracked Figma frames weekly and create PRs automatically. The guide is available on today's newsletter. 🙌 What's your setup? #designsystem #documentation #productmanagement #productdesign