Design System Checklist

Design System Checklist

Use this comprehensive checklist when creating or auditing a design system.

Foundation

Design Principles

• Principles Defined: Core design principles documented (consistency, accessibility, simplicity, etc.)
• Values Articulated: Team values reflected in design decisions
• Design Language Documented: Visual design language explained (tone, personality)

Design Tokens

Color Tokens

• Primitive Colors Defined: Base color palette (50-950 scale for each hue)
• Semantic Colors Mapped: Brand, text, background, border, feedback colors
• Color Contrast Validated: All text meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text)
• Dark Mode Colors: Dark theme variants defined (if applicable)
• Token Naming: Consistent, semantic naming (text-primary vs gray-900)

Typography Tokens

• Font Families Selected: Primary (sans), secondary (serif), mono fonts
• Type Scale Established: Font sizes from xs (12px) to 5xl (48px)
• Font Weights Defined: At least 3 weights (normal, medium, bold)
• Line Heights Set: Tight (headings), normal (body), relaxed (paragraphs)
• Letter Spacing: Defined for uppercase and large headings

Spacing Tokens

• Spacing Scale Created: Consistent scale (4px or 8px base)
• Spacing Values: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24
• Component Spacing: Specific spacing for components (button padding, card gap)

Other Tokens

• Border Radius: none, sm, base, md, lg, xl, 2xl, full
• Shadows: xs, sm, base, md, lg, xl
• Transitions: Duration and easing functions
• Z-Index Scale: Defined layering system

Components

Atomic Components (Atoms)

Button

• Variants: Primary, secondary, outline, ghost
• Sizes: sm, md, lg
• States: Default, hover, active, focus, disabled, loading
• Icons: Support for left/right icons
• Full Width: Option for full-width buttons
• Accessibility: Keyboard accessible, ARIA attributes

Input

• Types: Text, email, password, number, search
• Sizes: sm, md, lg
• States: Default, focus, error, disabled
• Icons: Support for left/right icons
• Helper Text: Support for hints and error messages
• Accessibility: Labels, ARIA descriptions

Checkbox & Radio

• Sizes: sm, md, lg
• States: Default, checked, indeterminate, disabled
• Labels: Properly associated labels
• Accessibility: Keyboard navigation, ARIA states

Select / Dropdown

• Single Select: Basic dropdown
• Multi Select: Multiple selection support
• Search: Searchable options (if applicable)
• States: Default, open, disabled
• Accessibility: Keyboard navigation, ARIA combobox

Badge

• Variants: Default, success, warning, error, info
• Sizes: sm, md, lg
• Removable: Option for dismiss button

Avatar

• Sizes: xs, sm, md, lg, xl
• Fallback: Initials or default icon
• Status Indicator: Online/offline dot (if applicable)

Icon

• Icon Set: Consistent icon library (Heroicons, Lucide, etc.)
• Sizes: 16px, 20px, 24px, 32px
• Accessibility: ARIA labels or aria-hidden

Molecular Components (Molecules)

Form Field

• Composition: Label + Input + Helper/Error
• Required Indicator: Asterisk or (required) text
• Error States: Validation error display
• Accessibility: Proper label associations

Search Bar

• Composition: Input + Search button/icon
• Clear Button: X to clear search
• Keyboard Support: Enter to submit

Card

• Variants: Default, outlined, elevated
• Composition: Header, body, footer sections
• Hover State: If interactive
• Clickable Area: Full card clickable (if applicable)

Alert / Toast

• Variants: Success, warning, error, info
• Dismissible: Close button
• Icons: Contextual icons for each variant
• Actions: Optional action buttons

Organism Components

Navigation Bar

• Responsive: Mobile hamburger menu
• Logo: Branding placement
• Links: Primary navigation links
• Actions: Login/signup buttons
• Dropdown: Nested menu support
• Accessibility: Keyboard navigation, ARIA navigation

Modal / Dialog

• Overlay: Background overlay
• Close Button: X button and ESC key
• Focus Trap: Focus stays within modal
• Sizes: sm, md, lg, full
• Accessibility: Focus management, ARIA dialog

Table

• Header: Column headers
• Sortable: Click to sort columns
• Selectable: Checkbox selection
• Pagination: Built-in or separate component
• Responsive: Mobile-friendly (stacked or scrollable)
• Accessibility: Proper table semantics

Pagination

• Page Numbers: Current and nearby pages
• Previous/Next: Arrow navigation
• First/Last: Jump to first/last page
• Page Size: Option to change items per page

Patterns

Layout Patterns

• Grid System: Responsive grid (12-column or flexbox/grid-based)
• Container: Max-width container for content
• Stack: Vertical spacing component
• Cluster: Horizontal spacing component
• Sidebar Layout: Sidebar + main content

Form Patterns

• Form Validation: Client-side validation patterns
• Multi-Step Forms: Wizard/stepper component
• Inline Editing: Edit-in-place pattern
• Auto-Save: Periodic save pattern

Navigation Patterns

• Breadcrumbs: Path navigation
• Tabs: Tab navigation component
• Sidebar Navigation: Collapsible sidebar
• Mega Menu: Large dropdown navigation

Feedback Patterns

• Loading States: Skeletons, spinners, progress bars
• Empty States: Illustrations and CTAs for empty data
• Error States: User-friendly error pages (404, 500)
• Success Confirmation: Post-action feedback

Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 Level AA)

Perceivable

• Color Contrast: 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text
• Color Independence: Information not conveyed by color alone
• Text Alternatives: Alt text for images
• Captions: Video/audio content has captions (if applicable)

Operable

• Keyboard Navigation: All interactive elements keyboard accessible
• Focus Indicators: Visible focus states (outline, ring)
• No Keyboard Traps: Users can navigate away from all elements
• Skip Links: "Skip to main content" link
• Touch Targets: Minimum 44x44px for mobile

Understandable

• Language Attribute: <html lang="en">
• Labels: Form inputs have labels
• Error Messages: Clear, specific error messages
• Consistent Navigation: Navigation is consistent across pages

Robust

• Valid HTML: Markup validates
• ARIA Attributes: Proper ARIA labels, roles, states
• Name, Role, Value: Interactive elements have accessible name

Documentation

Component Documentation

• Usage Examples: Code examples for each component
• Props API: Table of props with types and defaults
• Variants: Visual examples of all variants
• States: Examples of all interactive states
• Accessibility Notes: Keyboard shortcuts, ARIA attributes
• Do's and Don'ts: Usage guidelines with examples

Design Guidelines

• When to Use: Guidance on component selection
• Composition: How to combine components
• Content Guidelines: Copywriting standards
• Spacing Guidelines: How to apply spacing tokens
• Responsive Patterns: Mobile-first approach

Getting Started

• Installation: How to install the design system
• Setup: Configuration instructions
• Theming: How to customize tokens
• Migration Guide: Upgrading from previous versions

Tooling & Infrastructure

Development Tools

• Component Library: React/Vue/Angular/Web Components
• Storybook: Component playground and documentation
• TypeScript: Type definitions for all components
• Testing: Unit and visual regression tests
• Linting: ESLint/Stylelint configured

Build & Distribution

• Package Manager: NPM/Yarn package published
• Versioning: Semantic versioning (major.minor.patch)
• Changelog: All changes documented
• Tree-Shaking: Components importable individually
• Bundle Size: Optimized for performance

Design Tools

• Figma Library: Component library in Figma
• Design Tokens: Tokens exported to Figma (Style Dictionary, Figma Tokens)
• Shared Styles: Colors, text styles, effects synced
• Component Variants: All variants available in Figma

Theming & Customization

Theme Support

• Light Theme: Default light mode
• Dark Theme: Dark mode variant
• Theme Toggle: Mechanism to switch themes
• System Preference: Respect OS theme preference
• Persistent Choice: Remember user's theme choice

Customization

• Token Override: Ability to override design tokens
• CSS Variables: Tokens exposed as CSS variables
• Theme API: Programmatic theme customization
• Brand Variants: Support for multiple brands (if applicable)

Quality Assurance

Visual Testing

• Visual Regression Tests: Chromatic, Percy, or similar
• Cross-Browser Testing: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Responsive Testing: Mobile, tablet, desktop viewports
• Dark Mode Testing: All components in dark mode

Functional Testing

• Unit Tests: Component logic tested
• Integration Tests: Component interactions tested
• Accessibility Tests: Automated a11y tests (axe, WAVE)

Performance

• Bundle Size: < 100KB gzipped for core components
• Lazy Loading: Heavy components lazy-loaded
• Tree-Shaking: Unused components not included

Governance

Contribution Guidelines

• CONTRIBUTING.md: How to contribute
• Code of Conduct: Community standards
• PR Template: Standard pull request format
• Review Process: How contributions are reviewed

Versioning & Deprecation

• Semantic Versioning: Follow SemVer
• Deprecation Policy: How long deprecated components are supported
• Migration Guides: Help for breaking changes
• Release Notes: What changed in each version

Roadmap

• Public Roadmap: Future plans visible
• Feedback Channel: Users can request features
• Regular Releases: Predictable release schedule

Adoption & Maintenance

Onboarding

• Getting Started Guide: Quick start documentation
• Tutorial: Step-by-step walkthrough
• Video Demos: Recorded demos (optional)
• Support Channel: Slack, Discord, or forum

Metrics

• Adoption Tracking: Monitor usage across products
• Component Usage: Which components are most used
• Issue Tracking: Bug reports and feature requests
• Performance Metrics: Bundle size, load times

Iteration

• Quarterly Reviews: Regular design system audits
• User Research: Gather feedback from users
• Component Deprecation: Remove unused components
• Design Updates: Refresh styles periodically

Pre-Launch Checklist

Before publishing v1.0:

• All Atoms Complete: Button, Input, Checkbox, Radio, Select, Badge, Avatar, Icon
• Key Molecules Complete: FormField, Card, Alert, SearchBar
• Core Organisms Complete: Modal, Navigation, Table, Pagination
• Design Tokens Finalized: Colors, typography, spacing locked
• Accessibility Audit: WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance verified
• Documentation Complete: All components documented
• Tests Passing: 100% test pass rate
• Figma Library Published: Design library available
• NPM Package Published: Package available on NPM
• Migration Guide: From previous system or custom components

Post-Launch

• Announce Launch: Internal announcement and blog post
• Training Sessions: Workshops for teams
• Office Hours: Regular Q&A sessions
• Gather Feedback: Collect early adopter feedback
• Iterate Quickly: Address issues in patch releases

Checklist Version: 1.0.0 Skill: design-system-starter v1.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-10-31