Amway Global Design System

Client:

Amway Global

Last Published:

2019

Live Link:

Not available to general public. (See screenshots or relative media.)

Open Project

Relative Media

At some point, this client may have requested a demo or marketing video about the product. This typically happens prior to development for final validation.

Problem to Solve

As the team manager and lead designer, I was challenged to create and document a new design system that hadn't previously been updated in nearly 7 years. The active design system needed to be equipped with updated principals of design, implementation standards, accessibility compliance, and marketing guidance for tone and consistent brand recognition.

Solution

Software Used:

Hard Skills Applied:

Design Systems

Information Architecture

Content Strategy

Product Design

Accessibility

UX Writing

UX Research / Validation

Artifact Presentation & Delivery

Finding the Talent

I spearheaded the development and implementation of a comprehensive design system for the Amway corporation by first realizing the potential of the internal staff of contractors and full-time product designers. Over the course of three years, I conducted extensive research, coordinated with cross-functional teams, and crafted detailed specification documentation to create a streamlined and consistent approach to product delivery. This was a vastly different approach from the previously failed approach of outsourcing the project to outside agencies.

Right Tool for the Job

When it came time to identify the appropriate tools for delivery, I wanted a secure public-facing web platform with some more private options for internal use. The existing system was a WordPress solution and was currently under outside threats. This was enough to draw my attention to a designated Design System platform. After participating in a few demo's and coordinating with the global brand teams, we opted to use the web solution Frontify. This solution provided both internal and external capabilities, but also provided options to incorporate the many design tools most preferred by out staff. Figma, Axure, Adobe, and raw coding of HTML and CSS.

Implementation

Working closely with various teams within the Amway family-of-brands and marketing, I conceptualized a global vision for our design system that ensured a cohesive user experience across all regions. Leveraging my expertise in research, UX writing, architecture, and Accessibility, I established a set of guiding principles and best practices for the core product design infrastructure. This lead to a template design approach that facilities a workflow suitable for a 20+ person team of product designers and branding coaches.

It was assured that every asset, template, or component in the Amway designer library had usage guidance, principles of design, implementation guidelines, and accessibility compliance as part of the submitting process into the system.

Under my leadership, the Amway design system has achieved unprecedented success, serving as a model for other Amway regions and helping to elevate the overall quality and consistency of our products. I have prided myself on the ability to accomplish Amway's design team as a cooperative agency within an agency, and I am proud to have played a key role in this achievement.