Gloo+ Genesis Design System

The Challenge
Gloo’s design and development workflows were hindered by the lack of a unified design system, resulting in inefficiencies and inconsistent user experiences. While the need for a comprehensive design system was recognized, no action had been taken to implement one. Observing the urgent demands on the development team, I proposed an immediate solution: a temporary design system to streamline current workflows, reduce delays, and avoid service disruptions. Simultaneously, we began work on the long-term Genesis design system. Designing and building two design systems in parallel was a bold suggestion—and an even more daunting task—but the temporary system was successfully delivered in just six weeks, with Genesis proudly adopted company-wide approximately nine months later.

My Role
As Head of Experience, I collaborated with Gloo leadership and teams to prioritize and implement this phased approach. I guided the creation of the temporary design system to address immediate challenges and spearheaded the development of Genesis to establish a scalable and cohesive framework for the future.

The Approach

Phase 1: Temporary Design System

Designed and implemented a lightweight system to quickly unify existing UI components, enabling faster design-to-development handoffs.
Streamlined workflows to keep development on track without compromising the user experience or causing service outages.

Phase 2: Genesis Design System Development

Conducted a thorough audit of Gloo’s design assets, user flows, and development workflows to establish the vision for Genesis.

Collaborated with Gloo leadership, product managers, and developers to align objectives and ensure the system met both user and business needs.

Built Genesis as a modular system with reusable components, motion design, and comprehensive documentation to ensure consistency and scalability.

Facilitated team training to onboard designers and developers, driving adoption and integration of the new system.

The Solution
This phased approach provided both short- and long-term solutions:

Temporary Design System: Enabled the development team to efficiently deliver updates, reducing time-to-market while maintaining service continuity.
Genesis Design System: Delivered a robust, centralized framework that unified design and development, elevating the user experience and enabling future growth.

The Outcome

Accelerated Development: The temporary system improved workflows, cutting delays by 30% and ensuring timely feature updates.

Cohesive Visual Identity: Genesis provided a unified design language across all platforms, strengthening

Gloo’s brand presence.

Scalable Foundation: The modular system empowered teams to efficiently scale and iterate on products, supporting long-term innovation.

Reflection
By recognizing and addressing immediate needs with a temporary solution while championing a long-term vision, I helped Gloo enhance operational efficiency and elevate their product experience. This dual approach minimized disruptions, maximized productivity, and positioned the company for sustained growth.