The Starting Point: Why We Needed a System
Selling the design system idea wasn’t easy at first. Despite several efforts, it kept getting pushed aside for other priorities. That changed when Konfío decided to move beyond credit products and build a full financial ecosystem. It was the perfect moment to reposition the design system—not just as a design initiative, but as a key enabler of scale and cross-platform growth.
I took the lead: shaped the strategy, secured leadership support, put it on the roadmap, hired the right team, and guided the project from planning to launch over the next 1 year and 10 months.
The Challenge: Fragmented Tools, Isolated Teams
As Konfío grew, our design infrastructure didn’t keep up. We had:
Six disconnected design libraries
No shared visual language
Poor handoff between design, product, and engineering
With two acquisitions and a company-wide rebrand coming, we needed to fix this fast or risk delays, broken user experiences, and inefficiencies across the board.
Our Strategy: Unified, Cross-Team, Transparent
We took a strategic, collaborative approach:
Audits & Interviews: We started with deep discovery analyzing what teams were using, where the pain points were, and how to align.
Phased Roadmap: We balanced quick wins (like basic components) with longer-term goals (like full theme support).
Shared Tools: We built frameworks and documentation to let teams work more independently.
Transparency: We kept the company in the loop through updates, demos, and visual progress tracking.
The Starting Point: Why We Needed a System
Selling the design system idea wasn’t easy at first. Despite several efforts, it kept getting pushed aside for other priorities. That changed when Konfío decided to move beyond credit products and build a full financial ecosystem. It was the perfect moment to reposition the design system—not just as a design initiative, but as a key enabler of scale and cross-platform growth.
I took the lead: shaped the strategy, secured leadership support, put it on the roadmap, hired the right team, and guided the project from planning to launch over the next 1 year and 10 months.
The Challenge: Fragmented Tools, Isolated Teams
As Konfío grew, our design infrastructure didn’t keep up. We had:
Six disconnected design libraries
No shared visual language
Poor handoff between design, product, and engineering
With two acquisitions and a company-wide rebrand coming, we needed to fix this fast or risk delays, broken user experiences, and inefficiencies across the board.
Our Strategy: Unified, Cross-Team, Transparent
We took a strategic, collaborative approach:
Audits & Interviews: We started with deep discovery analyzing what teams were using, where the pain points were, and how to align.
Phased Roadmap: We balanced quick wins (like basic components) with longer-term goals (like full theme support).
Shared Tools: We built frameworks and documentation to let teams work more independently.
Transparency: We kept the company in the loop through updates, demos, and visual progress tracking.
How It Works
The system connects design and code seamlessly:
Engineers manage live components in Storybook and a central library, connected to product APIs.
Designers use Figma kits linked directly to team workspaces—supporting internal tools, responsive web, and mobile.
Everything runs on shared foundations: tokens, spacing, type, color, and elevation—making it easy to stay consistent and move fast.
The Cultural Shift
The biggest change? Teams started thinking in systems, not silos. Instead of reinventing the wheel, people asked, “Does this already exist?” before designing or building.
Designers and developers began to truly understand how the pieces fit together tokens, components, theming. Components weren’t just UI blocks anymore they were flexible, token-driven modules with shared documentation and version control.
This alignment led to faster handoffs, fewer design-dev mismatches, and a shared vocabulary across the company.
Components were no longer seen as static UI elements, but as configurable, token-driven building blocks documented in Storybook and versioned in a central library. Design and code were aligned through a single source of truth, enabling product teams to confidently compose interfaces using flexible, tested modules. This shift not only streamlined design and development but also fostered a culture of collaboration, ownership, and shared vocabulary across the entire organization.
Biggest challenge: Gaining buy-in without immediate results
Early in the project, one of the hardest parts was stakeholder perception. Many wanted to see the design system in action right away but were hesitant to invest time in building it properly. To address this, we focused on external communication and transparency, showing incremental progress and consistently reinforcing the system’s value. Meanwhile, the pressure to deliver components quickly meant we had to stay laser-focused on quality while managing tight timelines.
Strategic Win: Dedicated Team First, Federated Model Later
One smart move: hiring two full-time design system specialists who weren’t tied to product delivery. This gave us focus and speed. Once the core was stable, we opened it up letting product teams contribute directly. This federated model made the system scalable and sustainable.
Measuring Success
Speed: Teams shipped faster with reusable parts.
Adoption: 100% adoption across the company.
Rebrand: A full brand overhaul rolled out without delays or inconsistencies—thanks to the system.
What I’d Do Again And What I’d Change
✅ Do again: Start with a focused team, then move to shared ownership.
❌ Change: I wouldn’t wait to start. Earlier launch would’ve made early alignment much easier.
The outcome
The project redefined the way Konfío operated. Design, product, and engineering moved from working in silos to collaborating under a common framework. The design system became a cornerstone for speed, consistency, and scale. Along the way, the product design team solidified its structure and adapted to the needs of a growing organization. The experience also pushed the entire team to level up technically and interpersonally sharpening our ability to work together, solve problems, and drive outcomes.
Strategic Win: Dedicated Team First, Federated Model Later
One smart move: hiring two full-time design system specialists who weren’t tied to product delivery. This gave us focus and speed. Once the core was stable, we opened it up letting product teams contribute directly. This federated model made the system scalable and sustainable.
Measuring Success
Speed: Teams shipped faster with reusable parts.
Adoption: 100% adoption across the company.
Rebrand: A full brand overhaul rolled out without delays or inconsistencies—thanks to the system.
What I’d Do Again And What I’d Change
✅ Do again: Start with a focused team, then move to shared ownership.
❌ Change: I wouldn’t wait to start. Earlier launch would’ve made early alignment much easier.
The outcome
The project redefined the way Konfío operated. Design, product, and engineering moved from working in silos to collaborating under a common framework. The design system became a cornerstone for speed, consistency, and scale. Along the way, the product design team solidified its structure and adapted to the needs of a growing organization. The experience also pushed the entire team to level up technically and interpersonally sharpening our ability to work together, solve problems, and drive outcomes.
