Scaling Product Consistency with a Design System at CatchApp
CatchApp is a fast-growing scheduling platform where speed, consistency, and collaboration between design and development are critical.
This project focused on improving scalability and consistency across the product by introducing a structured design system.
The problem
As CatchApp scaled, inconsistencies across the interface led to:
- Inefficiencies in both design and development
- Increasing time spent on rework
- Reducing overall product quality
Before: Inconsistent UI
*Multiple variations of the same components across the product
Key issues identified:
- Buttons had different border-radius values, sizes, and colours across screens
- Input fields were styled differently in every section
- No token system — every value was hardcoded
- Designers had to recreate components from scratch each sprint
Goal
- Create a scalable and reusable design system
- Improve consistency across the product
- Speed up design and development workflows
- Reduce design-to-development friction
My role
UX/UI Designer
- Contributed to building and structuring the design system
- Defined reusable components and patterns
- Collaborated closely with developers to ensure implementation consistency
Approach
- Audited existing UI to identify inconsistencies
- Standardised components, styles, and patterns
- Created reusable components in Figma
- Aligned design decisions with development constraints
Key design decisions
1. Standardising components
Standardised reusable components to reduce duplication and ensure consistency across different product areas enabling faster and more efficient design and development workflows.
2. Improving collaboration with developers
The system was structured to align closely with development, making it easier to implement designs accurately and efficiently.
3. Designing for scalability
Components were built to be flexible and scalable, supporting future product growth without needing constant redesign.
From idea to implementation
Stage 1
Problem / feature request
Aligning on the problem with design and engineering
Stage 2
Exploration and pattern
Exploring solutions and defining patterns
Stage 3
Design system application
Using the design system to create consistent scalable designs quickly
Stage 4
Handoff and review
Clear structured handoff — dev builds using defined components
Stage 5
Faster implementation
Faster implementation and updates to existing components
Before VS After
Before
- Inconsistent UI patterns across the product
- Repeated effort in designing similar components
- Increased back-and-forth between design and development
Before: Inconsistent UI
*Multiple variations of the same component across the product
After
- Standardised buttons and textbox components used across the product to ensure consistency and reduce duplication
- Improved alignment between design and development
After: Standardised components
Outcome
- Improved UI consistency across the product
- Reduced design and development time through reusable components
- Minimised inconsistencies between design and implementation
- Created a foundation for scaling the product more efficiently
This created a foundation for scaling the product more efficiently while maintaining a consistent user experience.
Reflection
This project highlighted how a well-structured design system can significantly improve both team efficiency and product quality.
By aligning design and development, it's possible to create a more scalable and consistent user experience.