A new landing page is due, and three designers have each made a slightly different version of the same button. That is not mainly a button problem; it is a sign the team has no shared way to decide. A useful design system makes those decisions visible and reusable.
Start With Repeated Decisions
Begin with the choices that keep resurfacing: spacing between sections, heading sizes, link states, and how a card behaves on a narrow screen. Document the decision alongside the component so people understand not just what to use, but when it fits. A small, well-explained set is more useful than a sprawling library no one trusts.
Give Components Some Context
A button shown in isolation tells only part of the story. Show its hierarchy, such as primary versus secondary, and include the states a real interface needs: hover, focus, disabled, and loading where relevant. Context helps prevent teams from treating every component as a decorative object that can be dropped anywhere.
Keep the System Editable
Design systems should change as products and teams change. Assign someone to review requests, record why a pattern was updated, and remove components that no longer serve a clear purpose. The best test is practical: can a teammate make the next page faster without guessing which rules still apply?