Design System Engineering

Design System Engineering

Leveraged AI-augmented workflows to develop and deliver a scalable, unified design system for a global data platform, improving usability and team focus on user needs.
Leveraged AI-augmented workflows to develop and deliver a scalable, unified design system for a global data platform, improving usability and team focus on user needs.
Overview

Designed and implemented an AI-assisted workflow to audit UI screens for adherence to our design system, covering typography, color, and visual consistency. The process reduced what used to be weeks of manual checks into hours of AI-powered analysis, giving designers and developers objective, token-based feedback.

Role

AI-augmented Designer

Skills

Design Systems

Design Systems

Design Engineering

Design Engineering

Accessibility

Accessibility

Component Driven Design

Component Driven Design

Figma

Figma

The Problem

Before this project:

  • Consistency checks were manual, slow, and subjective.

  • Small color mismatches or off-spec typography often slipped into production.

  • Reporting was time-consuming and prone to ambiguity for developers.

  • A full audit of 20+ screens could take 2–3 weeks.

The result was longer QA cycles, inconsistencies slipping into production, and a higher cognitive load for both designers and front-end developers.

My Role
  • Defined the audit scope based on design system principles (typography, color, spacing, alignment).

  • Translated brand style guide tokens (colors, typography specs) into machine-readable formats.

  • Built an automated analysis pipeline using Figma MCP with an AI code agent.

  • Designed the reporting structure so that results were clear to both designers and developers.

  • Led the iteration process, refining detection thresholds and output formats to balance precision with usability.

Usage of browser agents for research

Tweaked components using Figma MCP + AI code agent

Published tweaks using Figma MCP + AI code agent + CI/CD

Impact

Traditionally, building and validating a design system takes:

  • 3–6 months for a designer-developer team to document, align, and QA components.

  • Manual audits of multiple product screens could consume 2–3 weeks per release cycle.

With this automated audit system:

  • The entire visual consistency check for 20+ screens now runs in minutes instead of days.

  • Designers can focus on creative problem-solving rather than repetitive inspection.

  • Developers receive objective, token-based feedback, reducing back-and-forth and rework.

  • The approach compresses what used to take weeks into hours, setting a precedent for faster, more reliable design system rollouts.

I’m Rodrigo Mafra, a Creative Leader with 15 years of experience helping businesses stand out through unique leadership and craftsmanship.

© Rodrigo Mafra 2025

I’m Rodrigo Mafra, a Creative Leader with 15 years of experience helping businesses stand out through unique leadership and craftsmanship.

© Rodrigo Mafra 2025