Design system stakeholder definitions
  • 31 Jan 2023
  • 1 Minute to read
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Design system stakeholder definitions

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Article Summary

Defining the "who" of your design system

The true foundation of your design system is the people who will be creating and using it. Before we go any further with planning the "what", let's make sure we're aligned on your system's stakeholders and their roles within the system.

CRUD (one of our favorite acronyms) = Create, Read, Update, Delete
StakeholderDefinitionAlso Known As
System AdminThe operational admin for your design system (could be a lead designer, project manager, IT stakeholder, or otherwise)Facilitator, Project Manager
MakerDesigners who will be directly responsible for CRUD design activities in your systemCore Designer, Editor, Contributor
CoderDevelopers who will be directly responsible for CRUD activities with coded components & tokensCore Front-End Stakeholder, Code Library Manager
UserDesigners who will be consuming styles and assets from the system, but not directly contributing/editingConsumer
Satellite StakeholdersNon-design stakeholders who will primarily be interacting with the system through the DSM web monumentAny "other" stakeholder (e.g. executive sponsor, brand manager, enablement stakeholder, etc)
Spend time thinking about stakeholders who will buildtestsponsor, or use your design system. If you’re not sure who/where to start, your sponsor is often a good start. If you don’t yet have a sponsor and you’re building this as a side project to gain buy-in, Project Leads are often a good starting point. They should have a good pulse on who the main development leads and other stakeholders in the projects are.

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