As the lead of the Pattern Asset Library (PAL) for Carbon for IBMer Experience, I initiated and successfully led the migration from our legacy design system to IBM’s official Carbon Design System. I pitched and sold the idea to stakeholders, emphasizing the need to modernize and unify our internal applications for more than 300,000 IBMers who use the IBM intranet daily. My role involved creating scalable components that not only served current use cases but also improved upon them, ensuring a seamless experience across IBM’s internal applications. I was responsible for designing the components, establishing guidelines, managing hand-offs to developers, and leading the design team to deliver a cohesive system.
The Carbon for IBMer Experience design system was created to provide a single source of truth for all internal IBM applications. With a user base of over 300,000 IBMers, the goal was to build a unified experience across tools and platforms. The previous legacy design system was outdated, lacked scalability, and caused inconsistencies across IBM’s internal products. Recognizing the need for improvement, I pitched the idea of migrating to the official Carbon Design System, with the goal of creating components that integrated seamlessly across internal products while improving usability, performance, and scalability.
The Pattern Asset Library (PAL) I led was at the heart of this transition, providing reusable components, guidelines, and best practices to ensure the system’s successful adoption and implementation.
My approach to leading the Carbon for IBMer Experience PAL focused on several key areas:
Pitching and Selling the Migration
I identified the limitations of our legacy design system and made a compelling case to stakeholders for migrating to IBM’s official Carbon Design System. By demonstrating the potential improvements in efficiency, consistency, and user experience, I was able to secure approval for the migration, with the goal of improving the experience for over 300K IBMers.
Component Design and Creation
I led the design and development of components that not only met existing use cases but also improved on them. These components were built to be scalable, flexible, and adaptable to the needs of IBM’s internal applications. I worked closely with product teams to ensure that the components could be integrated seamlessly into existing products, providing both design consistency and enhanced functionality.
Documentation and Best Practices
To ensure smooth adoption, I created comprehensive documentation, including guidelines and best practices for designers and developers. This ensured that the components were used consistently across different internal applications, and that designers had clear instructions on how to implement them effectively.
Developer Hand-offs and Collaboration
I oversaw the hand-off of components to development teams, ensuring that they were built to spec and worked within IBM’s broader product ecosystem. This required close collaboration with developers to resolve any technical challenges and to ensure that the components were both functional and performant.
Leading the Design Team
I led a team of designers, ensuring that we maintained high standards for usability, accessibility, and performance. I conducted design reviews, provided mentorship, and facilitated collaboration across teams to ensure that our components met the needs of IBMers and integrated seamlessly into IBM’s digital experience.
Testing in Context
I ensured that all components were rigorously tested within the context of IBM’s internal applications. This included validating that the components worked across a variety of products and workflows, providing a consistent user experience for IBMers across tools and platforms.
One of the significant challenges was ensuring that the components were flexible enough to meet a wide variety of needs while maintaining consistency across products. With over 300,000 IBMers using different internal applications, the components had to be adaptable without sacrificing the core principles of design.
Migrating from a legacy design system also presented technical challenges, particularly in ensuring that the components integrated seamlessly into existing products. Managing the hand-off to developers and maintaining alignment between design and development teams required ongoing communication and collaboration to ensure success.
The successful migration from the legacy system to Carbon for IBMer Experience resulted in a unified, cohesive design system that dramatically improved the usability, performance, and scalability of IBM’s internal applications. The components I led in designing were adopted across IBM’s intranet and internal tools, providing a consistent, seamless experience for over 300,000 IBMers.
By creating comprehensive guidelines and best practices, I ensured that both designers and developers had the resources they needed to implement the components correctly. The improved components not only met existing needs but also provided enhanced functionality, supporting IBM’s goal of delivering a modern, scalable intranet experience.
My leadership in this project directly contributed to faster time-to-market for new features, greater consistency across IBM’s internal products, and a more streamlined, efficient experience for all IBMers using these tools.
This version of the case study reflects your leadership in pitching the migration, creating the components, and driving the transition to the Carbon Design System for IBMer Experience, highlighting the impact of your work on over 300,000 IBMers. Let me know if you need any adjustments!