At a Glance
As GivingData scaled to serve 99,000+ users, we needed a better way to design, build, and grow. Paradigm, our first design system, was the infrastructure we created to bring consistency, speed, and accessibility to a rapidly evolving product suite.
Challenges
As GivingData's platform grew to support thousands of users across hundreds of foundations, it became clear that we needed more than just new features; we needed a strong underlying system. Without a comprehensive design system, we were facing some big hurdles:
- Inconsistent experiences: Rapid growth had led to a patchwork of styles and patterns, making the platform feel disconnected and harder for users to navigate.
- Scaling pains: Every new feature meant starting from scratch, slowing down our design and development process and increasing the risk of inconsistencies.
- Accessibility gaps: Meeting WCAG standards was critical for our diverse user base, but without clear guidelines, it was difficult to ensure every feature met the mark.
- Diverse user needs: From foundation staff to grantseekers to executives, our users needed flexible tools. Without a shared system, creating adaptable, user-centered experiences was a major challenge.
- Future-proofing: With a growing product suite and evolving user expectations, we needed a system that could scale and flex with us, not hold us back.
Paradigm was our answer: a unified design system built to bring consistency, speed, and accessibility to everything we create.
Role
I led the creation of Paradigm from the ground up:
- defining design principles
- building a shared component library
- documenting accessibility standards
This wasn’t just about picking colors and buttons. It meant partnering with engineers, product managers, and leadership to make sure Paradigm worked for everyone, across every corner of the platform.
I wore a lot of hats: researcher, system architect, visual designer, documentation nerd, and internal advocate for usability and accessibility.
Process
Building Paradigm was an iterative, scrappy, and highly collaborative process.
Here’s how we made it happen:
- Research: I audited existing UI patterns across the product to spot inconsistencies, pain points, and accessibility gaps.
- Define Standards: I created foundational design guidelines covering layout, typography, color, form behavior, and interaction patterns.
- Build Components: I partnered closely with engineering to design and build a scalable React-based component library, focusing on reusability and WCAG compliance.
- Document Everything: I wrote clear, friendly documentation so that designers and developers could use Paradigm without guesswork.
- Rollout and Adoption: I led regular sessions to onboard teams, gather feedback, and refine the system based on real-world needs.
Paradigm wasn’t a one-and-done project. It became a living, breathing part of our product development process.
Impact
Paradigm changed how GivingData built products.
- Consistency: We replaced dozens of one-off styles and ad hoc solutions with unified, predictable design patterns.
- Speed: Teams could design and ship features faster, cutting design + dev time significantly.
- Accessibility: With WCAG standards baked in from the start, Paradigm made GivingData’s platform more usable for all users.
- Scalability: As the user base grew past 99,000, Paradigm scaled with it — no more reinventing the wheel for every new feature.
Today, Paradigm supports 165+ foundations and powers features across the entire product suite.
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