The implementation of a design system within Airbus is linked to the context of digitalization in the company. Indeed, many digital projects are emerging in the different departments of Airbus but all these new projects develop from scratch their own graphic identity and their own user interfaces. As a result, there are many services & applications that do not respect the Airbus brand image and there is no consistency between them.
Therefore, my team decided to implement a design system to define the digital identity of Airbus, to bring consistency between all digital projects and to allow designers and developers to save time on the implementation and integration of a project.

The functioning of the teams
The result

For the creation of the design system we defined six design principles to guide our choices throughout its development. These principles were defined following a team workshop and thanks to feedback from other designers within Airbus.

For designers

Airbus Design System is a library of components with documentation and examples of use. The components are accessible thanks to a Sketch library to build interfaces but also on Framer to realize animated prototypes. The documentation of these components is available on an internal platform at Airbus where you can find information on how they were created, for what uses they were created and how to use them.

For developers

As far as developers are concerned, they have the choice between three different technologies to develop their projects. The CSS stylesheets of the components, a React solution and an Angular solution, as these are the most used technologies within Airbus. A documentation on an internal platform is also available to allow them to understand the structure of the components and access their code.

The design system addresses all digital projects within Airbus. It provides the resources to create desktop and mobile applications that are consistent in terms of usability, user interface and code to deliver the best possible digital experience to Airbus customers and employees. It also helps define the digital expression of the Airbus brand through its digital tools, saving time and money for project teams.

Use of the design system
Description of my job

My position at Airbus and within the Design System team, for two years, was UX/UI designer. Accompanied by designers and developers, my role was to improve the design system and to spread it within the company. My tasks were varied, whether it was the creation of new components, extensive research on topics related to design systems, writing guidelines on the use of components, bug fixes in the UI kit, or the creation of communication materials to promote the design system.

Creation of communication supports

One of the first missions I carried out when I joined the team was to create a variety of communication tools for the design system. Indeed, the design system was very recent and its bases were already in place, so it was necessary to make it visible to the employees within the company so that it is used and becomes a reference. I realized several posters, flyers and a kakemono that were printed and displayed.

These two years working at Airbus in the design system team have been very formative, both for my design skills and for my understanding of how a company works. It also reinforced my belief that it is more interesting and productive to work in a team and especially in a multidisciplinary team.

Even if it hasn't always been easy, the integration of design methodology and projects like the design system within large companies is essential in my opinion. This is necessary to provide better user experiences and develop a better vision of our business around the world.