Design Systems
Design systems that fit the way your team builds.
I build design systems around your team’s workflows, tools, and plans for growth. We can start fresh or improve what you have, connecting components with the guidance designers, developers, and AI tools need to use them.
Speak with DishaSelected work
The decisions behind the system. The work built with it.
Flighty
Where I come in
Your team is building faster. There’s more to keep together.
Designers are creating new patterns. Engineers are building with AI. More pages, screens, and features are going out—but the decisions behind them aren’t always travelling with the work.
You might be starting fresh, working around an incomplete library, or maintaining a system that’s become harder to use than it should be.
What I look for
Where the system creates more work.
Too little to build with
Missing patterns, states, and guidance leave people filling in the gaps. The same decisions get made differently each time.
Too much to work through
Layers of variants, rules, and dependencies make simple changes difficult. Maintaining the system starts taking time away from the work it should support.
It doesn’t fit the team’s workflow
The library exists, but using it means extra steps. Designers work around it, engineers rebuild parts, and updates don’t make it back.
AI has the components, but misses the context
The output looks plausible, but uses the wrong pattern, misses a constraint, or adds something the team already has.
Design and implementation drift apart
The files, documentation, and live experience tell different stories. Nobody is quite sure which one to follow.
Growth keeps exposing the gaps
New content, workflows, and contributors bring needs the system wasn’t prepared for. Exceptions pile up without a clear way to resolve them.
Two starting points
Start with the brand, the product, and the people building it.
The approach depends on what you’re making. In both, I work through what your team needs, how the system fits their tools, and what people and AI need to build with it.
Brand & Website
Turn the identity into something your team can work with.
I start with how your brand should look, feel, and communicate across real content. That becomes a system of foundations, sections, templates, and rules your team can use across your website and digital materials.
Product
Turn product decisions into patterns your team can build on.
I start with your users, industry, and workflows. That becomes a system of tokens, components, behaviour, and guidance that fits how your designers and engineers work—including how they build with AI.
My process
Understand what’s needed. Build it into the way you work.
Whether we’re starting fresh or evolving an existing system, the scope comes from your goals, your team’s capacity, and the work ahead.
Choose your approach
01 / Discovery + audit
Work out what the system needs to support.
For a new system, I research your domain, users, roadmap, and team workflows. For an existing one, I also review the product, libraries, and implementation. We decide what to keep, change, or build—and what isn’t needed yet.
Typical outputs:
- 01Domain, user, and product requirements
- 02Design, development, and AI workflow mapping
- 03Existing-system findings or new-system requirements
- 04Agreed scope, priorities, and success criteria
02 / Foundations + structure
Set up the foundations around real requirements.
I define the tokens, naming, and structure around your product and technical setup. We work through themes, accessibility, and reuse without adding complexity your team doesn’t need.
Typical outputs:
- 01Visual foundations and semantic tokens
- 02Naming and library structure
- 03Theme and accessibility requirements
- 04Plan for adoption or migration
03 / Components + patterns
Define how things work—and where they don’t.
I develop components and patterns through real workflows. Alongside variants and states, I work through edge cases, combinations to avoid, and situations that need a different approach.
Typical outputs:
- 01Components, variants, and interaction states
- 02Patterns for priority workflows
- 03Usage rules, anti-patterns, and edge cases
- 04Responsive and accessibility behaviour
04 / Documentation + integration
Put the guidance where the work happens.
I connect the system with your team’s design and development workflow. People and AI tools need access to the right components, the reasoning behind them, and clear checks for implementation.
Typical outputs:
- 01Usage guidance and implementation examples
- 02Alignment across Figma, code, and documentation
- 03Structured context for AI-assisted builds
- 04Design and engineering review checklists
05 / Validate + evolve
Test it through the work it’s meant to support.
We use the system in real design and build tasks, including AI-assisted workflows. We review the output, test user-facing behaviour with real people, and refine both the system and how the team maintains it.
Typical outputs:
- 01Validation in priority product flows
- 02Human and AI workflow findings
- 03Usability and implementation refinements
- 04Ownership, contribution, and maintenance guidance
01 / Discovery + audit
Understand the brand and how your team makes things.
For a new system, I work from your identity, audiences, content needs, and growth plans. For an existing one, I also review the website, assets, and templates. We identify what needs structure and where flexibility matters.
Typical outputs:
- 01Brand, audience, and content requirements
- 02Design, publishing, and AI workflow mapping
- 03Existing-system findings or new-system requirements
- 04Agreed scope, priorities, and success criteria
02 / Foundations + structure
Make the identity work across real content.
I translate the brand into practical foundations for type, colour, spacing, imagery, and layout. The structure accounts for your platform, accessibility, and the people who will use it.
Typical outputs:
- 01Visual foundations, variables, and tokens
- 02Layout and responsive principles
- 03Content and imagery guidance
- 04Library and template structure
03 / Components + templates
Build flexibility into the right places.
I create sections, patterns, and templates around the content your team makes. We define what can change, what should stay consistent, and which combinations don’t work.
Typical outputs:
- 01Website components and reusable sections
- 02Page and content templates
- 03Variants for different content needs
- 04Usage rules, exceptions, and examples to avoid
04 / Documentation + integration
Make the system part of creating and publishing.
I organise assets and guidance around your team’s tools and responsibilities. That includes how designers, developers, content teams, and AI tools apply the brand and review what gets produced.
Typical outputs:
- 01Usage guidance and worked examples
- 02Alignment between design and the website build
- 03Brand and layout context for AI tools
- 04Publishing and review checklists
05 / Validate + evolve
See how it holds up beyond the sample page.
We apply the system to priority pages and materials, test different content and screen sizes, and review how the team uses it. What we learn feeds back into the system.
Typical outputs:
- 01Application to real pages and materials
- 02Responsive, accessibility, and usability checks
- 03Human and AI workflow refinements
- 04Ownership and update guidance
How I think about the work
A system should help your team move. And keep the experience together.
I think about the people using your website or product, the team building it, and the tools they work with. The system needs to serve all three while supporting where the business wants to go.
- 01
Build what the team needs now, with room for what’s next
I work out what to reuse, extend, simplify, or create. The scope should support your roadmap without leaving obvious gaps or adding layers your team can’t maintain.
- 02
Fit the way design and engineering work
I consider how people find components, make changes, review builds, and share decisions. The system needs a place in that workflow, with clear ownership and a practical way to contribute.
- 03
Make the rules usable by humans and AI
I document what to use, when to use it, and what to avoid. Then we put that guidance through real build tasks to see where context is missing or the output needs correction.
Ways to work together
Find the right starting point. Build from there.
Each engagement can support a brand and website system, a product system, or both.
Audit
Discovery & System Audit
For teams deciding what their system needs to be—or why the current one isn’t working. We start with research for a new system, an audit for an existing one, or a combination of both.
What’s included:
- 01Domain, user needs, and growth priorities
- 02Review of team workflows, tools, and existing assets
- 03System requirements, gaps, and unnecessary complexity
- 04Prioritised scope and a practical plan forward
Build
System Build or Refresh
For teams ready to create a system or evolve what they have. We build around real work and establish how your team and AI tools will use it.
What’s included:
- 01Agreed scope, foundations, and system structure
- 02Components, patterns, or templates for priority needs
- 03Usage rules, anti-patterns, and edge cases
- 04Documentation integrated into human and AI workflows
- 05Validation, rollout, and migration support where needed
Ongoing
Ongoing System Support
For teams whose system needs to keep pace with new work. I help develop it alongside your roadmap and address what comes up in everyday use.
What’s included:
- 01Dedicated time around roadmap and system priorities
- 02New patterns and refinements to existing components
- 03Updates across documentation and implementation guidance
- 04Reviews of adoption, AI-assisted output, and recurring issues
- 05Support for contributions, releases, and maintenance
Testimonials
From people I’ve built things with.
She distills complex ideas into structured, coherent narratives that strengthen both product positioning and brand perception.
Clarity is the most underrated design skill — and one that truly defines impactful work. Disha consistently brings this clarity to every engagement.
She distills complex ideas into structured, coherent narratives that strengthen both product positioning and brand perception. She is a strong asset to any team — thoughtful, capable, and full of long‑term potential.
N.A., Founder & CEO, Shweta Labs (IIT Bombay)
Daniel G Bright, Founder, Bright Studios
Shubh Agrawal, Head of Growth, Valley
Adriano Reis, Founder, Ancorpoint Studio
Dan Pugsley, Co-founder & CTO, Stealth Ed-tech startupFrequently asked questions
A few things you might want to know before we work together.
Yes. We can start from scratch or work with what’s already there. I look at what you’re building, how your team works, and where you’re headed to figure out what the system needs to support. You don’t need to have all of that worked out before we begin.
Both. For brands and websites, I work on the visual foundations, reusable sections, and templates your team needs to create things consistently across marketing and launch needs.
For products, that extends to elements, components, interaction patterns, and how things behave across different workflows in your product. If you need both, we can build connections between them.
Yes. I start with the tools, libraries, and code your team already uses. I work with your designers and developers to understand what’s useful, what’s getting in the way, and where design and implementation have drifted apart. Any development work is scoped together before we start.
AI tools need more than a collection of basic foundation elements and components. They need context about what to use, when to use it, and which rules or constraints matter; layered with your tech stack needs. I bring that guidance into your team’s workflow, then test it through real tasks to see where the output needs better direction.
Yes. I can help your system evolve as your team builds new things—adding patterns, refining components, updating documentation, and working through issues that come up in use. We agree on priorities and the time you need from me each month.
You can book a call or drop me an email with a little about what you’re building and where you need help.
You might have a library that’s become difficult to maintain, a team that keeps rebuilding the same things, or no system at all. We can talk through what’s happening and see what would be useful. You don’t need to arrive with a list of components or a finished brief.