How I structured and scaled two Design Systems at different fintechs, creating an ambassador model that made the DS the responsibility of the whole team.
Client
Year
Design Systems
DesignOps
Governance
I was responsible for two Design Systems at fintechs with completely different contexts: one built from scratch at a brokerage in transformation, the other inherited and scaled at a startup that grew from 5 to 20 designers. In both, the central challenge was the same: making the DS everyone's responsibility.
Problem
At Easynvest, the product had just gone through a rebranding and there was no single source of truth: designers and devs worked misaligned across three different platforms. At Cora, the DS existed, but rapid growth created inconsistencies, a lack of documentation and lost engagement across areas.
Solution
In both contexts I created the DS Ambassadors model: devs from each platform with clear responsibilities for evangelization, maintenance and evolution. I ran design principles workshops, naming alignment and component audits. At Cora, I evolved the model by including Product Designers as ambassadors and created a structured creation and documentation flow integrated into the squads' sprints.
Process
I ran design principles workshops, naming alignment between designers and devs, and component audits at both companies. At Cora, I evolved the process to include Product Designers actively in creation and documentation, integrating this flow directly into the squads' sprints.
Result
At Easynvest: new product launched with 70% DS adoption on web; other products reached 55%. At Cora: significantly improved communication between design and development, a DS roadmap aligned with management and documentation that reduced recurring support requests.
