Contrast is not a style choice; it is whether people can read the page. Users scan, so headings carry more weight than paragraphs. Consistency is kind, but clarity wins when the two disagree.
Lessons
The prototype answered in a day what the meeting could not in a month. Labels above fields beat clever placeholders every time. An error message should blame the system, not the person. Contrast is not a style choice; it is whether people can read the page.
A design system is a set of decisions you no longer have to argue about. Type scale decisions ripple into every component downstream.
The short version
Contrast is not a style choice; it is whether people can read the page. Motion should explain a change, not decorate it. Good defaults are the design most users will ever see.
- Start from content, not components
- Write the microcopy before the mockup
- Test with real data
- Prefer one clear action per screen
Users scan, so headings carry more weight than paragraphs. We removed three options and support tickets dropped by a third.
Trade-offs
Good defaults are the design most users will ever see. A design system is a set of decisions you no longer have to argue about. The prototype answered in a day what the meeting could not in a month. Consistency is kind, but clarity wins when the two disagree.
We removed three options and support tickets dropped by a third. Dark mode is a second palette, not an inverted first one.
Consistency is kind, but clarity wins when the two disagree. We tested with five people and found the same problem four times.
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