THE DESIGN SYSTEM CHECKLIST
UXLaunch Lab — uxlaunchlab.com

Most design systems die from lack of adoption, not lack of components. This
checklist covers the parts that determine whether a design system gets
used — or quietly ignored after month two.

FOUNDATIONS (TOKENS)
[ ] Colour, spacing, and typography exist as named tokens, not hardcoded hex/pixel values
[ ] Dark mode, if supported, is a token swap, not a separate design
[ ] Tokens are the single source of truth in both Figma and code — not maintained twice

COMPONENTS
[ ] Every component has documented states: default, hover, focus, disabled, error, loading
[ ] Components are built with real content lengths in mind, not just placeholder text
[ ] Variants are limited to what is actually used — no speculative options nobody needs yet

DOCUMENTATION
[ ] Each component's usage guidelines say when to use it and when not to
[ ] Code snippets in docs are copy-pasteable and actually work
[ ] A changelog exists so teams know what changed and why

GOVERNANCE
[ ] A clear process exists for proposing a new component or requesting a change
[ ] One person or team owns final decisions to prevent design-by-committee drift
[ ] A contribution guide explains how someone outside the core team can add to it

ACCESSIBILITY
[ ] Every component meets WCAG AA contrast and focus-visible requirements by default
[ ] Keyboard navigation is built into interactive components, not bolted on later
[ ] Accessibility is tested with real assistive tech, not just an automated scanner

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