How we used the Design System Attributes Framework to set our mission, vision, and principles

You need to know where you want to go before figuring out how to get there

The Design System Attributes Framework. Illustration made in Miro by the author.

I believe in ambition. And when I say ambition, I mean the most basic definition of the word: A strong desire to do or achieve something. More importantly, I believe in shared ambition. It is through shared ambition the truly amazing feats are accomplished.

In the realm of product development, you won’t go far without shared ambition. It is the fuel that keeps the engine running, the momentum that keeps the body moving, and the dexterity that keeps the mind focused on the way ahead.

You might know them as mission and vision, guiding principles, and core values. To me, that’s just a way to describe and structure one thing:

Our shared ambition.

When I recently joined a design system team, the product (and the team) lacked a proper long-term vision. The original mission was simply to create ”a multibrand design system for our marketplaces across web and mobile (iOS, Android).” Approximately one year after that mission was defined, it had already been achieved. So what now?

That’s a pretty hard question to answer without figuring out what the shared ambition is, besides governing and maintaining a ”multibrand design system.”

So that’s what we set out to do.

Start with the format

One strategy pyramid might differ from another, but the concept is the same. Illustration made in Miro by the author.

The easiest thing to decide is how to format the team’s shared ambition, so that’s a good starting point. Is it enough with overarching mission and vision statements? Or do you also want core values and principles connected to those statements, to further guide the team on how to move towards them?

There are lots of comprehensive guides on how to properly craft mission and vision statements. However, the actual structure differs quite a bit; some put the mission at the top of their strategy pyramid, others use the same pyramid format but with the vision on top. Some…