Interaction designer Alla Kholmatova wisely observed,4 “If you give [a component] a presentational name, its future will be limited, because it will be confined by its style.”

Now, translate some of the jobs this page has to do into the features and content that actually do that job.

Design systems are a tool for scale. Spending time on one-offs (and two-offs) isn’t working at scale, but three or more starts will get you in that territory.

A pilot could also be one page or feature of a product, like a pricing table or embeddable video. Heck, a pilot could

Many design systems products feature these six common parts (Figure 3.1): A UI kit A component library Guidelines A reference website

and lean-back experience,

CHAPTER 5 Pilots—The Best Way to Start and Sustain a Design System

Real organizational value lies in truly connected design systems. Pilots are the easiest way to make a design system that’s kindest for the teams making it and using it. True collaboration takes the most advantage of the promises of a great design system. You can serve people well if you understand what drives them.

Systems Connect Organizations