Ruben Ferreira Duarte

I’ve been working with design systems since the time when in the design teams we tried to design as efficiently as possible with the “smart objects” of Adobe Photoshop. They were different times. Today we have other tools at our disposal and the working models with development teams have changed a lot (and I’m glad). Since then I have learned a lot, especially making many mistakes in the construction and maintenance of design systems for brands as different business areas as Galp Energia in Spain (the largest oil company in the Iberian Peninsula), Pisca Pisca by Credibom (one of the largest used car marketplaces in Portugal), AdvanceCare (a health insurer that allows its customers to manage all their products through a digital ecosystem) or more recently at Santander, helping teams in Portugal to apply the global design system. In addition to all this work in the private sector, when I passed through the public service departments of the Portuguese Government, I was responsible for defining the strategy and starting point architecture of the Ágora Design System the open-source design system for all public services in Portugal.

In all the teams I’ve worked on in design systems, there have always been two fundamental goals. Empowerment the team and share knowledge with the community. Empower the team because design systems are living systems and so are their teams. The team changes over time and it is essential that there is space for everyone to grow there. Sharing knowledge with the community because what I am as a designer and leader is also the result of what I learn from others and therefore it is essential to know how to give back a little of what we learn. Much of this sharing with the community has happened through the development of many initiatives related to design systems and also through the publication of articles on Medium (in english) and on my personal blog DXD.

Community recognition is not always done formally. Incidentally, sometimes it is difficult to perceive the recognition of the community towards someone. But, one thing for me is certain and I believe that this is also recognition of something. In all the work that I have done with the community, especially in seeking to share knowledge, I have been able to involve other professionals in many of these initiatives. People I deeply admire on a professional but also personal level. People who work on a product, agencies or consultants who at many different times have made themselves available to participate in a conversation, a study or share opinions for an article. Some of the best professionals I know in design systems who made themselves available to accept my invitation free of charge. I believe that this is also an important trust that the community places in me.

One of my main goals with working in the community is to bring people together. Specifically in Portugal, I feel that there are many teams and professionals who do extraordinary work but who do not always have the visibility that their work deserves. I’ve always tried to break this down and make it so that through interest in a common topic, design systems, the community could meet and get to know each other. It is with this main objective that I have carried out almost all initiatives. Sometimes producing content, other times promoting events where the community can meet and get to know each other.

Sharing to the community

Sharing my knowledge is not done alone. In addition to sharing everything I’ve learned over time about design systems, I’ve been trying to do this together with the community and through many initiatives that can involve other professionals and help share knowledge for free.

Some of the initiatives that I have promoted in the community over time:

• Map of Design Systems in Portugal 2022 the first study of its kind in Portugal to describe the state of work of design systems in Portugal.
• Design systems handled by you talks about Design Systems, a cycle of 20 conversations, held between March 2021 and February 2023, in which each edition invites a team to share some of their work in design systems. Talks nominated in Best Talk Category in Design Systems Awards 2023.
• Articles on the DXD blog (in portuguese) dozens of free articles on many aspects of design systems work.
• Articles on Medium (in english) about design systems topic or others subjects in design field.
• The Starter course on design systems documentation with Zeroheight and held at the same time in Portugal and Brazil.
• Design Systems 360º course on the strategic part of design systems work and bringing together some of the greatest design systems specialists in Portugal and with guests from Brazil.
• Pinterest collection with more than 200 references of design systems documentation, from the public and private sectors.
• Organize events in World Design Systems Week 2022 promote by Zeroheight and celebrate the topic all over the world.