Initiated by Elena Savitskaya, Director of User Experience and Design, the design system has yielded remarkable results, including a 543% increase in productivity and cost savings of over £6.3 million. It has also enhanced brand coherence and elevated the user experience across all products utilising it. One of its notable successes is the Red Design Award received by the Air product, which fully operates on this system.As a UX designer, my role was to design on these achievements and promote the design system internally.

My focus was on understanding the needs of not only the end users but also the developers and designers who interact with it daily. By conducting a thorough audit and collaborating with cross-functional teams, we pinpointed opportunities to improve and standardise our designs, ensuring the system's ongoing success and impact.

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Our approach to developing the design system began with comprehensive research and collaborative brainstorming sessions among the team to generate innovative component ideas. We engaged with product managers to identify essential features and requirements, ensuring that our components would meet real-world needs.

Guided by established design principles and a commitment to accessibility, we crafted each component with a focus on usability and inclusivity. This process involved iterative design and feedback loops to refine our components, ensuring they are both functional and user-friendly. By aligning our design work with these core principles, we aimed to create a cohesive and effective design system that enhances user experience across all platforms.

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In collaboration with Paulina Serwinska, I played a key role in refining and evolving the design system. We held weekly Design System calls to review updates on the latest components, assess adjustments needed for existing elements, and identify any new components required from a product perspective.

These regular meetings ensured that the design system remained up-to-date, responsive to user needs, and aligned with product requirements.

Our user research at SmartStream is designed to provide deep insights into client needs and improve our products. We gather a broad spectrum of data through various methods, including UX interviews, written feedback, surveys, and competitor analysis. This comprehensive approach allows us to capture diverse perspectives and understand user experiences in detail.

To ensure the research is thorough and actionable, we maintain a dedicated UX research repository. Here, we store all findings and reports produced by our UX Research team on Dovetail, creating a central resource for accessing valuable information. This repository functions similarly to a search engine for customer feedback: simply enter your topic of interest, and you’ll find relevant research if it’s available.

• Advanced Search Functionality: We utilised Dovetail’s robust search capabilities to quickly locate specific insights and data, ensuring we could efficiently access relevant information when needed.

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• Insightful Analysis Tools: The platform’s advanced analytical tools enabled us to identify key trends, patterns, and user needs from both qualitative and quantitative data, driving informed decision-making.
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• Customisable Reports: We created tailored reports using customisable reporting features, presenting research findings in formats that met the specific requirements of our projects.

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• Integration Capabilities: The platform’s ability to integrate with other tools and systems enhanced our workflow, allowing us to seamlessly incorporate Dovetail into our existing research processes.

​

• Enhanced Data Visualisation: We employed  data visualisation options to clearly and effectively communicate our findings to stakeholders, making complex data more understandable and actionable.

​

• Scalability: As our research efforts expanded, the scalability supported our growing data needs and evolving project requirements, ensuring the platform remained effective throughout our research journey.

Initiated by Elena Savitskaya, Director of User Experience and Design, the design system has yielded remarkable results, including a 543% increase in productivity and cost savings of over £6.3 million. It has also enhanced brand coherence and elevated the user experience across all products utilising it. One of its notable successes is the Red Design Award received by the Air product, which fully operates on this system.As a UX designer, my role was to design on these achievements and promote the design system internally.

My focus was on understanding the needs of not only the end users but also the developers and designers who interact with it daily. By conducting a thorough audit and collaborating with cross-functional teams, we pinpointed opportunities to improve and standardise our designs, ensuring the system's ongoing success and impact.

​

Our approach to developing the design system began with comprehensive research and collaborative brainstorming sessions among the team to generate innovative component ideas. We engaged with product managers to identify essential features and requirements, ensuring that our components would meet real-world needs.

Guided by established design principles and a commitment to accessibility, we crafted each component with a focus on usability and inclusivity. This process involved iterative design and feedback loops to refine our components, ensuring they are both functional and user-friendly. By aligning our design work with these core principles, we aimed to create a cohesive and effective design system that enhances user experience across all platforms.

​

In collaboration with Paulina Serwinska, I played a key role in refining and evolving the design system. We held weekly Design System calls to review updates on the latest components, assess adjustments needed for existing elements, and identify any new components required from a product perspective.

These regular meetings ensured that the design system remained up-to-date, responsive to user needs, and aligned with product requirements.

Our user research at SmartStream is designed to provide deep insights into client needs and improve our products. We gather a broad spectrum of data through various methods, including UX interviews, written feedback, surveys, and competitor analysis. This comprehensive approach allows us to capture diverse perspectives and understand user experiences in detail.

To ensure the research is thorough and actionable, we maintain a dedicated UX research repository. Here, we store all findings and reports produced by our UX Research team on Dovetail, creating a central resource for accessing valuable information. This repository functions similarly to a search engine for customer feedback: simply enter your topic of interest, and you’ll find relevant research if it’s available.

• Advanced Search Functionality: We utilised Dovetail’s robust search capabilities to quickly locate specific insights and data, ensuring we could efficiently access relevant information when needed.

​

• Insightful Analysis Tools: The platform’s advanced analytical tools enabled us to identify key trends, patterns, and user needs from both qualitative and quantitative data, driving informed decision-making.
  ‍
• Customisable Reports: We created tailored reports using customisable reporting features, presenting research findings in formats that met the specific requirements of our projects.

​

• Integration Capabilities: The platform’s ability to integrate with other tools and systems enhanced our workflow, allowing us to seamlessly incorporate Dovetail into our existing research processes.

​

• Enhanced Data Visualisation: We employed  data visualisation options to clearly and effectively communicate our findings to stakeholders, making complex data more understandable and actionable.

​

• Scalability: As our research efforts expanded, the scalability supported our growing data needs and evolving project requirements, ensuring the platform remained effective throughout our research journey.