The making of Indeed’s first unified design system
Indeed | Systems Designer | Q3 2017 - Q4 2018
Design Systems // UI/UX // Documentation // Research // Training // Evangelizing // Accessibility // Internationalization
The problem: In 2017, the outdated and inconsistent Indeed.com desperately needed a design system.
The solve: My job was to convert the top performing test results from our UI overhaul into a scalable design system. I took the following approach: define foundations, build components, document guidelines, promote, maintain and evolve the system. In addition, the hidden step was to build close relationships across the org.
The impact: I successfully defined and launched Indeed’s first comprehensive design system, became the go-to person for all things design system, and drove 100% company-wide adoption.
Introducing Janus,
Indeed’s first unified design system.
“Janus” is the Roman god of beginnings. At Indeed, the two faces of Janus represent that of the Job Seeker and the Employer.
The Foundations
Foundations make up the basis of the Janus design system. Working closely with designers, PMs, content strategists, and developers behind Job Seeker and Employer teams, I defined documentation guidelines for the entire foundation system.
I evolved the new style guide into a holistic system
The Components
We embedded the foundational elements of Janus from typography, color, spacing, to iconography, into every component. I redlined the first 18 out of 30 components we launched for the Janus MVP, keeping in mind different sizes and states. I bundled the components and foundations into a UI Kit for adoption and documented more component guidelines on the design system website.
The knitty gritties
Accessibility was top of mind when designing for Indeed’s 200 million+ users, as well as internationalization, for the global audience of over 60 countries.
“Shirley is thorough, thoughtful, and precise. Working with her you know that nothing will slip through the cracks. She knows good UX and she knows how to make it look awesome at the same time.”
— Amanda Moon, Designer on Job Search
Promoting the system
Post launch of Janus, it was time to party! I mean, promote the system! To evangelize the system, I pioneered design system trainings to 100+ UXers across 4 offices, leading to increased adoption across job seeker and employer teams.
Externally, I organized Indeed’s first ever SF Design Week Event
To showcase Indeed’s emergence as a significant player in the design community, I convinced our VP of Design to entrust me with organizing a panel discussion to publicize Indeed’s new design system. Read more about it here.
Following the success of the event, I put Indeed and our design leaders on the industry’s radar
“We have evolved our aesthetic from “Google c. 2004” to something more mature, appealing, and distinctively Indeed.”
— Chris Hyams, Indeed CEO, 2018
Special shoutout to Elyse Holladay, Chris Hadley, Katie Hicks, Amanda Moon, Quinton Larson, Matthew Clark, Sally Schmitt, Rebecca Murphy, Andrew Fischler, Eddie Lou and Dolores Joya for all the awesome collaborations and good times we shared. And Kim Williams for envisioning the world of Janus and beyond.
