Design System Culture with Ben Callahan

If you feel like you’re swimming upstream with your design system, it’s likely the result of a cultural problem—not a technical one. It may be time for you to look at your design system from a different perspective.
In this session, Ben Callahan will show you how design systems and company culture are inextricably linked. We'll examine how a deeper understanding of each is necessary to get you where you want to go, including:

• An exploration of four types of organizational culture
• An understanding of design systems as a bonafide subculture within an organization
• A discussion of how misalignment between design system culture and organizational culture can create major problems
• An explanation of the two most dominant design system subcultures—collaborative and controlling and how each—while viable—presents its own unique challenges

In this session you will learn the importance of cultural alignment so that you can achieve the goals for your design system faster. You will also be able to avoid past pitfalls thanks to a greater recognition of your newfound understanding of the importance culture plays in a systematic design practice.