Contributing to the design system

Overview

Veteran-facing teams are expected to use design system patterns and components when possible. If existing components or patterns will not work to address needed designs, VFS teams can suggest new components or patterns by going through our Experimental Design process outlined below.

All new components or patterns should go through this process. We recommend starting this process before sharing new designs widely with stakeholders.

This process works best if started before development begins, during the design phase.

Experimental design decision tree

When considering if a component or pattern should be added to the design system there are a few criteria that define a “good” candidate:

1. The component or pattern will be useful in multiple products on VA.gov. It may be new or it may already be used somewhere on VA.gov, but the designer should be prepared to give examples of possible use cases beyond just their product.
2. The component or pattern is different in more than one major way than existing components in the design system.
   • If the component is only different in color or format, for instance, then it may be a good candidate as a variant of the existing component. Variants of existing components should also go through this experimental process.
3. Our existing components and patterns will not solve the user problems sufficiently.

Open experimental design decision tree in Mural

Use the decision tree above to determine if you need to go through the Experimental Design process. If your component or pattern will be used by other VFS teams, follow the process outlined below. If it is only for your product, the experimental process is not required.

Read more about experimental components and patterns.

Process overview

The Experimental Design process consists of three main phases:

1. Collaboration Cycle: Identify the need for a new or updated component or pattern.
2. Suggest an addition or update: Submit your request and go through review and research.
3. Add a component or pattern once approved: Implement and document the approved addition.

Roles involved

• VFS Team: Proposes and researches the component or pattern.
• Design System Team: Reviews, provides feedback, and supports the process.
• Governance Team: Makes final decisions and approvals.