Week 3 Blog

Learning to Design Together without Losing Consistency

This week involved a lot of collaboration with the mid-level designer I work with on Orderlay. We both ended up working on the same component, but with slightly different approaches, which led to several back-and-forth discussions to realign the design direction.

This experience made me realize how easily inconsistency can appear when ownership is shared but direction is not clearly documented or agreed upon early. Even small differences in structure or logic can affect how unified the final product feels.

A key part of this week was learning how design systems actually function in practice. I started seeing them less as static files and more as shared agreements between designers. When those agreements are not followed consistently, the entire product starts to feel fragmented.

Another important learning was around documentation. I realized that when design decisions are not clearly recorded with reasoning, the same discussions tend to repeat multiple times, slowing down progress unnecessarily.

Key Learnings & Insights

  • Design systems work best when treated as shared team agreements, not individual interpretations.
  • Consistency depends on alignment, not just design quality.
  • Softened feedback can reduce clarity in design discussions.
  • Clear documentation helps avoid repeating the same decisions.
  • Collaboration improves when reasoning is shared, not just outcomes.

    • Application in Practice

    To improve collaboration, we introduced a simple shared annotation system in Figma this week. Instead of explaining decisions only in Slack, we started leaving notes directly on components explaining the reasoning behind each design choice. This made discussions more focused and reduced repeated clarification.

    Reflection

    One challenge I faced this week was expressing my design perspective more confidently during disagreements. I often hesitate to be too direct because I prefer maintaining harmony in team discussions.

    However, I’m beginning to understand that clarity is more important than comfort in design collaboration. I want to work on being more assertive while still being respectful and open to feedback.

    Next Week Goals

    • Practice clearly explaining design rationale during at least one team discussion.
    • Be more direct when giving design feedback instead of softening points.
    • Strengthen consistency by aligning early on shared components.
    • Continue improving documentation habits inside Figma.

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