UnConference: Design Systems Culture with Ben Callahan

A design system is often an expression (for better or worse) of the values of the people that build it. This is why design systems flounder—they are often launched as a bridge between teams without an understanding of the various subcultures of those teams. When companies align their design system with and make them work for their existing company culture, the goals for that system are more easily realized.

If you feel like you’re swimming upstream with your design system, it could be the result of a cultural problem—not a technical one. It’s time for you to look at your design system from a different angle.

In this virtual learning event, Ben Callahan will show you how design systems and company culture are inextricably linked and how a deeper understanding of each is necessary to get you where you want to go.

00:00 A Quick Story 04:11 A Framework for Organizational Culture 08:52 A Framework for Competing Values 18:18 The Healthy or Unhealthy Design System Subculture 32:01 Cultural Compatibilities 38:27 Can a Design System Subculture Change Organizational Culture?