Most organizations that invest in design systems end up with something that exists in theory but gets ignored in practice.
The Developer Experience Is the Product
For a design system to be adopted, using it must be easier than not using it. This means well-documented components with clear usage guidelines, TypeScript types that make component APIs discoverable, and a contribution process that's lightweight enough that teams actually use it.
The Governance Model
Sustainable design systems need a governance model that balances centralized consistency with the flexibility that individual teams need. The models that work best are federated: a core team owns the foundational layer, while contributing teams can build extensions within defined guardrails.