Chava - Design System: Crafted a design overhaul to revamp an early-stage startup’s brand identity and Design System from A-Z
Team
Ceo & Co-funder
Lead Product Designer
UX Researcher
Technical Adviser
Developers
Product Designer (Visual Designer/Illustration) Me ✌🏼
Timeframe
8 months
The Lily Project, a US NGO, has provided free healthcare to 23,271 cervical cancer patients in Nicaragua, prioritizing sexual and reproductive health education. Despite facing setbacks during protests and government crackdowns, they turned to WhatsApp during COVID-19 to reach patients, highlighting the urgent need for better healthcare solutions to tackle disparities.
Background
The Design System needed rapid scaling due to new use case discoveries and continuous library expansion, all amidst the tight deadline for MVP 2.0 launch. However, let's be realistic is ongoing process.
Goal
Branding
To resonate with the current visual feminist movement in Latin America, we developed an understanding of the brand model and communication approach associated with women's liberation, its principles, and values.
I created an artboard to capture the inspiration gathered, emphasizing visual elements shaping Latin American feminism. This influence was expressed through illustration, vibrant colors, typography, and other graphic elements.
Researching how industry-leading brands such as Uber and Google approached this dilemma strengthened our determination to turn our vision into a reality. We began by mapping out all of our components, from simplest to most complex, and decided on optimal guidelines for design and implementation.
Research and Planning
Design Inventory & Atomic Design
I started developing an inventory of the components that will be necessary based on the wireframes and after that, I used the atomic design method.
Over 90% of the app was built using components from the design system, while the remainder are custom components that have not met the criteria for being added. The system has proven its power to increase velocity and consistency for all teams.
Outcome
In under two months after starting the role, we completed the redesign of the brand and the design system for MVP 2.0
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It offered a cohesive rebranding identity. It established clear decision-making principles.
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It streamlined the design process. It accelerated design-to-market time, providing developers with a unified resource.
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It enhanced efficiency across marketing and development operations.
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Leadership received mostly positive feedback from pitch presentations to investors and board members.
Impact
It was a great experience to own the design system, I learned so much about methods, and what a library needs to be more agile in the work and its constraints. This would definitely help me shortly as a designer.