Project Summary
A design system enables faster, more consistent product design and development, fostering effective collaboration between designers and engineers. For Dental Whale, it became essential to make the digital product scalable and eliminate design inconsistencies
The challenge was demonstrating the value of the design system. Early sprint reviews with front-end engineers helped illustrate how a consistent foundation accelerated both design and development. Later, during creative meetings, I presented the implementation approach, positioning the design system as a milestone recognized across the company.
My Process
As the designer leading this effort, I built the component library from the ground up—starting with a comprehensive interface inventory to audit all existing components created by the original product designer. This process exposed inconsistencies and incomplete definitions across typography, color, and component states, reinforcing the need for a structured system. I owned the creation of all foundational elements and core components, while actively advocating for adoption and proper implementation by partnering closely with product and engineering to ensure the system was used consistently and scaled effectively across the product.
Screen Designs
This overview highlights how the new system components introduced a more modern look and feel, while establishing more comprehensive and consistent patterns across the Dental Whale internal tool.
Final Reflection
This project reinforced the impact a well-structured design system can have on product quality, team efficiency, and scalability. By crafting a modular system for an emerging product, I learned how early system decisions shape long-term consistency and speed across design and development. The experience deepened my expertise in component anatomy, system thinking, and cross-functional advocacy—demonstrating that a design system is not just a set of components, but a shared foundation that enables teams to build, iterate, and scale with confidence.
