Design Systems WTF
Episodes
Are we reducing complexity with design systems??
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Live recording of the fortnightly podcast Design Systems WTF (back for season two!), where Luke Murphy and Michelle Chin attempt to combat all the ama...
Episode 44 - Should we care about consistency?
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Live recording of the fortnightly podcast Design Systems WTF (back for season two!), where Luke Murphy and Michelle Chin attempt to combat all the ama...
Are we finally at the point of contextual documentation?
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Season 2 Episode 1Design Systems WTF is the fortnightly podcast where Luke Murphy and Michelle Chin attempt to combat all the amazing wtf in design sy...
Can you actually measure the ROI of a component?
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Selling the value of your design system to folks who don't necessarily understand it is a difficult and thankless task. But are we trying to sell...
Should designers know how to code?
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The age old question – should designers know how to code? Or more specifically, how much should designer know when it comes to code? Considering it&...
Are accessibility guidelines enough to be inclusive?
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Making your design system as inclusive as possible is something that I think we all agree on. However, for most systems teams, this means creating som...
Are design systems a dead end?
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Luke's article on the death of design systems, Michelle and Luke dive into whether design systems have a future... are we at a natura...
How big is too big for a design system?
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How big is too big? Is there a point where your design system just becomes unwieldy? Luke and Michelle dive into this question from a previous episode...
When is OK to snowflake?
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Detach instance is a concept that has stuck fear into the hearts of design systems folks since the beginning. However, there are definitely instances ...
How much is too much documentation?
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes we may feel the urge to include everything in our documentation, to the point where it rivals Lord of the Rings for length and density. Howe...
Where should design systems sit in your org?
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Design systems should sit in the design team. Design systems should sit in the designops team. Design systems should sit in their own team. There are ...
Should we get rid of infinite scroll?
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Infinite scroll was designed to enhance the UX for browsing search results, but now it's often used to keep users endlessly engaged on social med...
Do design systems make teams go faster?
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Design systems are often hailed as the ultimate productivity boosters for devs and designers alike, but do they really deliver on that promise? We’l...
Why isn’t contribution the answer?
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Contribution often seems like the perfect solution for scaling design systems, but is it really? We'll weigh the tough realities of managing cont...
Live from Converge 2025: When should we be using AI?
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Luke and Michelle come to you direct from Converge to talk about AI (again). Is there a place for AI in our design systems?
Why aren’t people contributing to the design system?
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're struggling to get contributions to your design system, you might think it’s a governance issue. But it might not be the real issue. I...
Where can AI actually help with design systems?
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're cutting through the AI hype and getting to the good stuff—practical ways AI can supercharge your design system. From streamlining workflo...
Live from Hatch: Do we need to stop making components?
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re challenging the status quo of design systems by questioning the necessity of components. Are we too focused on building and m...
Why do we need to care more about patterns?
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re focusing on patterns, the often-overlooked pillar of your design system. Why should we focus on patterns more than components...
How should we version design systems?
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the enigma that is design system versioning. How do we make sense of versioning? How do you sync versions between code, de...
Has AI made everyone a designer? A spicy conversation with Pablo Stanley
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI tools are transforming the landscape, making it easier than ever to create and design. Is this making everyone a designer? Will design system maker...
WTF happened at Config?
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re diving into the buzzworthy announcements and new feature releases that have the design community talking. We’ll share our o...
How do you prove the value of design systems?
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We tackle the fundamental question: “How do you prove the value of design systems?” What kind of metrics work? Why does the math seem so fuzzy? Ar...
They downsized the design system team; how do we survive?
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We navigate the challenges and uncertainties that arise when a design system team undergoes downsizing or restructuring. How do the design system team...
What’s keeping design systems people up at night?
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we answer some interesting design system questions from the Internet. With Luke away, Dave, our Developer Advocate, will joins Michel...
Should Figma be the source of truth?
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Figma is currently dominating the design landscape and with good reason. They’ve taken what we’ve done with product and UX design and allowed us t...
Is using a pre-built frontend library realistic?
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we ask, “Is using a pre-built frontend library realistic?” We look into the pros and cons of leveraging frontend libraries such as MUI, Tail...
Future-proofing your design system
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Design systems should reflect what’s currently in your product, but it’s tempting to future-proof them. After all, getting the system up and runni...
How do we get past the MVP state?
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We examine that critical phase in the life of a design system: moving beyond the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Launching an MVP is just the beginning,...
Building delight into your design system
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We tackle a question that often gets overlooked in the world of design systems: Is there room for fun and delight? Sure, components are the workhorses...
Building a Global Design System
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We dive into the ambitious idea proposed by Brad Frost: creating a global design system for everyone to use. Imagine a world where companies don’t r...
Our design system Valentines
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This special episode is our love letter to the unsung heroes of the design system world. Join us as we shine a spotlight on some incredible individual...
Flexibility in Design Systems
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we tackle the common concern—are you being too prescriptive with your design system? We’ll discuss the fine line between guidance...
Design System Contributions
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating design system contributions – how do you tell someone their component is terrible?We address many design system creators' challenges...
Design Systems Contracting
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we tackle the question that many ponder: Can you create a successful design system through contracted work? We explore the dynamics o...
Design Systems Help Desk
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have a special edition of Design Systems WTF, this time Luke will be joined by the amazing Amy Hupe! They’ll be chatting about design systems and...
Design Systems Careers
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's question: Is my career doomed if I focus on design systems?We dive deep into the world of design system careers. Is focusing on design sy...
Design Systems and Accessibility
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's question: How accessible can a design system really make a product?We explore the potential of design systems to enhance accessibility an...
Should I use tokens today?
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's question: Should I use tokens today?DESIGN TOKENS. The saviour of our design systems, or so it seems from the amount that people hold the...
AI and Design Systems
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's question: Will AI change design systems?We genuinely can’t believe it’s taken us three episodes to mention AI… It’s obviously a h...
Rewarding Contribution
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's question: How do you reward someone for the contributions they make?From the big questions straight into the weeds! This has been a favou...
Getting buy-in for your design system
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's question: How do you make the rest of your org care about your design system?With the current climate, budgets are being slashed left, ri...