My Role: UX/UI Designer & Consultant
Services: UX Research, Wireframing, UI-Design, Prototyping, Design-System
Platform: Figma Design System
Employer: Luzerner Kantonalbank (LUKB)
Timeline: 10 months, September 2022
Banking design system – through atomic methodology
Fragmented Sketch library. Inconsistent components. Designers building workarounds instead of using the system. Through atomic design methodology, collaborative workshops, and structured governance, we transformed LUKB's component chaos into a scalable Figma design system. 40% fewer core components. 100% team adoption. Structure beats sprawl.
Core shift: From fragmented library to atomic clarity – through structured methodology.
3 Min. Read
How we solved problems
Three challenges, three breakthroughs
Systems fail when designers don't trust them.
The existing Sketch library was broken. Unlinked components. Inconsistent spacing. Designers worked around it instead of with it. We didn't just migrate to Figma – we rebuilt trust. Started with core styles everyone needed daily. Tested with real projects. Iterated based on actual pain. Result: full design team adoption within 6 months. Trust isn't designed. It's earned through usefulness.
Atomic structure reduces decisions, not features.
The old library had 200+ styles. Most unused. We applied Brad Frost's atomic design: broke everything into building blocks. Atoms → Molecules → Organisms → Templates → Pages. Clear hierarchy. Predictable patterns. Reduced core components by 40% while improving flexibility. Not by removing features. By removing redundant decisions.
Atomic Layers: Atoms (colors, spacing) Molecules (buttons, inputs) Organisms (forms, tables) Templates (navigation) Pages (full layouts)
Discoverability is design work.
Before: Designers rebuilt existing components Search labels inconsistent No usage examples
Components existed. Designers couldn't find them. Search was broken. We documented usage patterns. Created visual examples. Ran naming workshops to build shared vocabulary. Made the system explorable. Architecture without navigation is chaos with structure. Good systems are findable systems.
Key Learnings
What this project taught me
Building without user buy-in builds for nobody
We had the perfect structure. Designers kept using old patterns. The pain: pushing a system nobody wanted. What helped: stopping development, running workshops, rebuilding based on actual workflows – not ideal theory. Adoption beats perfection.
Start small, prove value, then scale
We tried building everything at once. Massive scope. Slow progress. Zero adoption. What saved me: cutting to core components only, proving value fast through real projects, then expanding iteratively based on measured demand.
Figma skills vary – training is design work
Some users lacked Figma experience, leading to workarounds that broke the system. The pain: watching the system get misused unintentionally. What worked: comprehensive training sessions for all skill levels, treating education as part of the design process.
Why this still matters
Systems are adopted, not deployed
The best component library is useless if designers can't find what they need, don't trust it, or don't understand how to use it. Design systems succeed through human adoption, not technical architecture. This project proved that building for users – not specifications – is what scales.