Case study
The SDD consists of 4 separate services within one portfolio that share the same internal user base, it also consists of 4 interaction designers. At the beginning, I was hesitant about using Figma as a tool for GDS designs, advocating for the prototype kit and Gov.uk front end. Nevertheless, I started the library by importing the GDS components and allowing the other 3 designers to create designs for their service, soon enough it became apparent that the framework was good enough to allow the designers to create and explore ideas.
Screenshots
GDS Components
Most Departments now have their own components available in both Figma and other design tools, you can find most of them below.
Prototype 1
Even though the first prototype was done, using the prototyping kit, a full copy was created in Figma to allow discourse and critique to be done.
Discussions
It became very easy to gather user research and valuable feedback on the board where it created a go to space for such discussions to take place.
Prototype 2
Moreover, it saved time; to explore with components and patterns not existing in the Gov.uk frontend it allowed for greater flexibility towards producing a solution that better meets the user needs.