Design practice

Audit an Existing Design System

Practice assessing token coverage, component quality, and documentation gaps

Start the exercise

01 / Prepare

What you’ll
work on.

Audit a publicly available design system (e.g., Shopify Polaris, GitHub Primer, Atlassian Design System) using a structured evaluation framework. Produce a written report identifying strengths, gaps, and improvement recommendations.

Before you begin

  • Understanding of design system architecture (tokens, components, documentation)
  • Familiarity with accessibility requirements (WCAG AA)
  • Access to a design system's public documentation and Figma library

02 / Practice

The work,
step by step.

Work through these 5 parts at your own pace. Keep your notes and work together so you can review them when you finish.

  1. Choose and Explore

    30 min

    1. Pick a design system — Choose one with public docs and a Figma community file

    2. Spend 30 minutes exploring — Docs site, component library, token documentation, contribution guidelines

  2. Token Audit

    45 min

    1. Evaluate the token layer: Are tokens organized in tiers (reference, semantic, component)? Is the naming convention consistent and predictable? Are there hardcoded values where tokens should be? Is dark mode / theming supported through token remapping? Are motion tokens (duration, easing) defined?

  3. Component Audit

    60 min

    1. Pick 3 components (e.g., Button, Input, Card) and evaluate each: Are all interaction states documented (default, hover, focus, active, disabled)? Is the component accessible (keyboard navigation, ARIA attributes, contrast)? Does it use tokens or hardcoded values? Are variants and sizes systematic? Is the Figma component structured with auto layout and proper constraints?

  4. Documentation Audit

    45 min

    1. Evaluate the docs: Is there a clear "getting started" path for new consumers? Does each component have usage guidelines (when to use, when not to)? Are do/don't examples provided? Is there a contribution guide? How are updates and breaking changes communicated?

  5. Write the Report

    60 min

    1. Structure the report: Executive summary (2–3 sentences), Strengths (3–5 things done well), Gaps (3–5 areas for improvement, with specific examples), Recommendations (prioritized: high/medium/low impact)

03 / Review

Look at what
you’ve made.

Gather your deliverables, then use the criteria to find what worked and what you would change. They also give a peer something specific to respond to.

What to bring together

  • Audit report (1,500–2,000 words)
  • Token coverage assessment (table or checklist)
  • Component-level findings for 3 components
  • Prioritized recommendations list

How to assess your work

Thoroughness
All three layers audited (tokens, components, docs)
Specificity
Findings reference specific examples, not vague observations
Prioritization
Recommendations ranked by impact and feasibility
Constructive tone
Identifies what works, not just what's broken

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