Crowdcube

Crowdcube needed a more efficient way for their designers to explore new product ideas, test user journeys, and maintain visual consistency across their platform. Their existing design workflows relied heavily on ad-hoc components, making it difficult to move quickly or experiment without recreating UI patterns from scratch.

Partnering closely with the Head of Design, we helped define and implement a scalable design system used across the organisation. The goal was to equip Crowdcube’s in-house designers with a robust, clearly documented library of components that supported rapid prototyping as well as long-term product development.

My role included auditing existing UI patterns, rationalising inconsistencies, and restructuring components to make them more flexible, maintainable, and aligned with the brand. We then built a unified design system that included tokens, components, and usage guidelines—giving the team a single source of truth for designing new features and testing ideas.

Design System Implementation

Core elements of the work included:

• Auditing existing UI and identifying gaps, duplicates, and inconsistencies
• Defining design tokens for colour, typography, spacing, and interaction
• Rebuilding and rationalising core components for clarity, reusability, and accessibility
• Documenting behaviours, states, and usage rules to ensure consistency
• Setting up a scalable structure in their design tools (Figma/Sketch) for easy adoption
• Ensuring the system supported rapid iteration for prototypes and concept testing

Empowering the In-House Team

A key outcome was enabling Crowdcube’s design team to work faster and more independently. With the new system in place, designers could:

• Assemble prototypes in minutes instead of hours
• Maintain visual consistency across explorations
• Focus on product thinking rather than rebuilding UI
• Communicate more effectively with developers through shared patterns
• Iterate confidently with a single, well-maintained library

Outcome

The design system gave Crowdcube a strong, scalable foundation for ongoing product development and experimentation. It streamlined internal workflows, reduced duplication of effort, and empowered the design team to prototype at speed using a consistent, well-documented set of components.