System is “the whole creation, the universe,” from Late Latin systema “an arrangement, system,” from Greek systema “organized whole, a whole compounded of parts”.

系统是晚期拉丁语系统的“整体创造物，宇宙”，是希腊语系统的“一种安排，系统”，是“有组织的整体，由各个部分组成的整体”。

Design systems have been around for quite some time now. Organizations keep incorporating them in order to be relevant and quick into the dynamic and fierce digital world. Businesses keep growing and expanding into different mediums, devices and ways to communicate with their users and customers, so the systems are here to help bridge those gaps in the most efficient way possible.

设计系统已经存在了一段时间。 组织不断整合它们，以便与之相关并快速进入动态和激烈的数字世界。 企业不断发展壮大，并扩展到不同的媒介，设备和与其用户和客户进行通信的方式，因此，这里的系统可帮助您以最有效的方式弥合这些差距。

In this post, I will try to give a definition of a design system and how the systematic approach is connected with us by nature.

在本文中，我将尝试给出设计系统的定义，以及系统方法如何与我们自然联系。

1.人为设计 (1. Human by design)

Design has always been a human act. Designers are here to help, create, plan, and execute ideas, which at the end should serve a purpose. Designers are so much more than before, so much more involved in every level of the business and the organization’s body.

设计一直是人类的行为。 设计师在这里可以帮助，创建，计划和执行想法，这些想法最后应达到目的。 设计师比以往更多了，因此更多地参与了业务的各个层面以及组织的各个机构。

We often talk about how an organization is like a living organism. Organizations in their core are just like us, they keep growing, changing, and improving for one main reason — to survive. Why do we make these analogies? Why are we looking for ways to compare the human body with the organization’s body? Let’s think about that a bit more by having a proper definition for the human body.

我们经常谈论组织如何像活的有机体。 处于核心地位的组织就像我们一样，为了一个生存的主要原因而不断发展，变化和改进。 我们为什么做这些比喻？ 我们为什么要寻找将人体与组织的身体进行比较的方法？ 让我们为人体定义一个适当的定义。

Human body The human body is everything that makes up, well, you. Our bodies consist of a number of biological systems that carry out specific functions necessary for everyday living.

人体人体是一切，构成了，好了，你。 我们的身体由许多生物系统组成，这些生物系统执行日常生活所需的特定功能。

The human body consists of biological systems that we can call body systems. Here is a definition of what a body system is:

人体由我们称为人体系统的生物系统组成。 这是什么是身体系统的定义：

Body systems Body systems are groups of organs and tissues that work together to perform important jobs for the body.

身体系统 身体系统是一起工作以完成身体重要工作的器官和组织的集合。

This definition really stuck in my mind. As humans, we are a combination of different systems and we simply work like that. Think about it…Here are the 10 systems that combined together create the body system (we all know them by heart).

这个定义确实牢记在我的脑海。 作为人类，我们是不同系统的结合，我们只是像那样工作。 想一想……这里是将十个系统结合在一起构成的身体系统(我们都心生灵识)。

• Respiratory system is the one that takes the oxygen provided by the environment and converts/translates it into a form that our cells can use.

  呼吸系统是一种吸收环境提供的氧气并将其转换/转化为细胞可以使用的形式的系统。

• Digestive system is the one that takes food and process it to obtain useful nutrients.

  消化系统是一种摄取食物并对其进行处理以获得有用营养的系统。

• Cardiovascular/Circulatory system is the one that provides an efficient way of moving substances around the body. Fun fact: the body’s entire blood takes around a minute to circulate.

  心血管/循环系统是提供一种在体内移动物质的有效方式的系统。 有趣的事实：人体的全血大约需要一分钟才能循环。

• Urinary system, keeps our body healthy, by removing some of the waste that we produce from the digestive system.

  泌尿系统通过清除消化系统产生的一些废物，保持身体健康。

• Endocrine system, consists of a number of tissues that send out chemical messages — called ‘hormones’ — to the rest of the body.

  内分泌系统由许多组织组成，这些组织将化学信息(称为“激素”)发送到身体的其他部位。

• Nervous system, allows us to sense stimuli such as light, sound, smell, and touch from our environment.

  神经系统，使我们能够从环境中感知刺激，例如光线，声音，气味和触摸。

• Musculoskeletal system, operates to move the organism and stimulate the internal organs.

  肌肉骨骼系统可移动生物体并刺激内部器官。

• Exocrine system, covers the body and protects it from the outside world, we are talking skin, nails, hair, etc.

  外分泌 系统覆盖身体并保护其免受外界干扰 ，我们正在谈论皮肤，指甲，头发等。

• Immune system, we are made from carbs, proteins and lipids, which means that there are other organisms that want to eat us. The immune system helps us fights those unwelcome guests.

  免疫系统是由碳水化合物，蛋白质和脂质组成的，这意味着还有其他生物想要吞噬我们。 免疫系统帮助我们与那些不受欢迎的客人作斗争。

• Reproductive system, the only system which is not crucial for the survival of the individual, but essential for the survival of the species.

  生殖系统，这对个体的生存并不重要，但对物种的生存至关重要。

We have 10 different systems in our body, each of these systems has its own small microsystem and way of operating, and by doing that the whole body communicates and operates. Think about how many connections and dependencies there are and how they work together, so you can even read this article. An organization ideally should work the same way in the context of the business and services of course.

我们体内有10个不同的系统，每个系统都有自己的小型微系统和操作方式，通过这样做，整个人体可以进行通信和操作。 考虑一下有多少连接和依赖项以及它们如何协同工作，因此您甚至可以阅读本文。 当然，组织理想地应该在业务和服务的上下文中以相同的方式工作。

Here is an interesting comparison between the brain of the human body and the brain of the organization’s body.

这是人体的大脑和组织的身体的大脑之间的有趣比较。

• The brain can be thought of as the control center that receives data, analyses it, and then commands the body to respond. In order to fire these signals, neurons must use huge amounts of energy. Then a response comes, you can assume a response as any physical or mental act that is done after the signal is sent back. Even scrolling down through the next paragraph of this article requires a command and response process.
  可以将大脑视为控制中心，该中心接收数据，对其进行分析，然后命令身体做出响应。 为了激发这些信号，神经元必须消耗大量能量。 然后出现响应，您可以将响应假定为发送回信号后所做的任何身体或精神行为。 即使向下滚动到本文的下一段，也需要一个命令和响应过程。
• The company’s headquarters are the brain of the organization. In order to receive a signal for a problem, the organization must be connected to all the other parts of the whole. There should be time to review, analyze, and decide how to act. Then another layer of time is taken for the response to go back to the organs and systems of the organization's body which are dependent on that response.
  公司总部是组织的核心。 为了接收问题的信号，组织必须与整体的所有其他部分建立联系。 应该有时间进行回顾，分析和决定如何采取行动。 然后需要花费更多时间来使响应返回到依赖于该响应的组织机构的器官和系统。

So you see this is how we work, we are a chain of systems that work together. Everything in our body is connected and in constant communication. We can say that we try to incorporate everything into our lives with the systematic approach. Humans are designed by systems. The main reason why we approach design so much with systematic thinking nowadays is that organizations become more complex and bigger. It is hard to simplify the processes without the use of systems. This could be our native and organic way of finding a solution in order to communicate with everything. We by nature communicate that way.

因此，您将看到这就是我们的工作方式，我们是一系列相互协作的系统。 我们体内的所有事物都是相互联系并保持不断沟通的。 可以说，我们试图通过系统的方法将一切融入我们的生活。 人是由系统设计的。 如今，我们如此之多地采用系统化思维来进行设计的主要原因是组织变得越来越复杂，规模越来越大。 不使用系统就很难简化流程。 这可能是我们寻找解决方案以便与所有事物进行交流的本机和有机方式。 我们天生就是这样交流的。

Let’s try to think about design systems now, and how they fit in the context of the stated above. But first let’s try to give a definition of what a system is.

现在让我们考虑一下设计系统，以及它们如何适合上述情况。 但是首先让我们尝试定义系统是什么。

2.什么是系统？ (2. What is a system?)

I am a fan of knowing what I use, every word has its own meaning and sometimes the meaning gets blurred in order to correspond to the situations we are in. But to give a definition of what a design system is, first we have to look through the core definition and then try to translate it in the context of design. Here are some definitions of what a system is:

我很想知道自己使用的是什么，每个词都有其自己的含义，有时含义会模糊不清，以便与我们所处的情况相对应。但是要定义设计系统是什么，首先我们必须看一下通过核心定义，然后尝试在设计上下文中进行翻译。 这是什么是系统的一些定义：

System is:

系统是：

• a set of connected things or devices that operate together

  一组相互连接的事物或设备，它们可以一起运行

  a set of connected things or devices that operate together Cambridge Dictionary

  一组可共同操作的物联网或设备 剑桥词典

• a group of interacting or interrelated entities that form a unified whole

  一组相互作用或相互关联的实体，形成一个统一的整体

  a group of interacting or interrelated entities that form a unified whole Wikipedia

  一组相互作用或相互关联的实体，形成一个统一的完整 维基百科

• a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole Merriam Webster Dictionary

  定期交互或相互依存的一组项目，形成一个统一的整体《 韦氏词典》

• an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole

  事物或零件的组合或组合，形成复杂或单一的整体

  an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary wholeDictionary.com

  组成复杂或单一整体 Dictionary.com 的事物或零件的组合或组合

• a cohesive conglomeration of interrelated and interdependent parts that can be natural or human-made.Wikipedia System theory definition

  相互关联和相互依存的部分(可能是自然的也可以是人为的)的紧密结合。 维基百科系统理论定义

So we can see every source has its own way of defining what a system is but in the end, there are a few keywords and one idea that sticks, right? Let me give you a hint here:

因此，我们可以看到每个来源都有其自己的方法来定义系统，但是最后有几个关键词和一个想法很重要，对吧？ 让我在这里给你一个提示：

• connected things
  连接的东西
• group of interacting or interrelated entities
  相互作用或相互关联的实体组
• items forming a unified whole
  项目形成一个统一的整体
• combination of things
  事物的结合
• cohesive conglomeration
  凝聚性聚结

Systems are all about connection, unification and communication in a comprehensive way.

系统都是关于连接，统一和通信的全面方式。

3.方法和过程 (3. Methods and processes)

A system is there to connect, unify, and communicate processes. A design system then should be something to connect and unify the process of creation, delivery and handover of а products or services from a design perspective.

那里有一个系统来连接，统一和交流流程。 从设计的角度来看，设计系统应该是连接和统一产品或服务的创建，交付和移交过程的东西。

When you’re doing design systems work in your organization, you are actually building a community. — Jina Anne

在组织中使用设计系统时，实际上是在建立社区。 — 吉娜·安妮

It’s fundamental to have your whole team on board to follow a systematic way of working. Being a single player in a team-based activity such as building a product, will never work. By default, the world has spread that the designer is the one that should be responsible for building a design system, but with time this would change and it is changing. We see more and more that companies are looking for a group of people, most of the time a full-blown team, a UX engineer backed up by a team of developers, content writers and business teams such as product owners, marketing teams, etc. working as a single unit in order to communicate and unify the design system experience in the organization.

让您的整个团队参与系统的工作方式是至关重要的。 在基于团队的活动(例如制造产品)中成为单个参与者永远都行不通。 默认情况下，世界已经散布了设计师是应该负责构建设计系统的人，但是随着时间的流逝，这种情况将会改变，而且还在不断变化。 我们看到越来越多的公司正在寻找一群人，大多数情况下是一个成熟的团队，由开发人员，内容作者和业务团队(例如产品所有者，营销团队等)支持的UX工程师。 。作为一个整体工作，以便传达和统一组织中的设计系统经验。

Every person in that scenario has his own expertise, and that is the point of every team. The end goal is the team to be aligned and follow this methodology of working and translate them to other teams. Some will be involved in the way of preparing, some involved in the way of producing, and some involved in the way of presenting.

在这种情况下，每个人都有自己的专业知识，这就是每个团队的重点。 最终目标是使团队保持一致并遵循这种工作方法，并将其转化为其他团队。 有些将涉及准备方式，一些将涉及制作方式，而有些则涉及演示方式。

We see more and more that this unified approach of having one single source of truth is not very efficient and helpful though. The dream of consistency gets blurred because people still have different needs and fall into different groups. We are constantly talking about different mediums, scenarios, and devices, so this creates an inconsistency of using a consistent approach.

我们越来越看到，这种具有单一真相来源的统一方法并不是非常有效和有用。 一致性的梦想变得模糊，因为人们仍然有不同的需求，并且属于不同的群体。 我们一直在谈论不同的媒体，场景和设备，因此使用一致的方法会造成不一致。

We feel the future is brought by those big services and products that are expanding in different ways and forms. The Spotify Encore solution feels like something that would create a pattern of where design is going. Similar to the statements above, you have one system connected to multiple microsystems that are responsible for their own part and organ.

我们认为，以各种方式和形式扩展的大型服务和产品带来了未来。 Spotify Encore解决方案感觉就像可以创建设计前进方向的模式。 与上面的陈述类似，您将一个系统连接到多个负责其自身部分和器官的微系统。

Having one design system which actually works with other small micro-design systems would be the best solution to the many different cases we are trying to cover.

拥有一个实际上可以与其他小型微设计系统配合使用的设计系统，将是我们试图解决的许多不同情况的最佳解决方案。

4.最终只有一个设计系统 (4. There is one design system in the end)

Design systems are inclusive. Тhey involve every part of the product, the organization, the service, the business, the visual design, the code, the process. But then what about some questions that come right away like:

设计系统是包容性的。 Тhey涉及产品，组织，服务，业务，视觉设计，代码，过程的每个部分。 但是接下来出现的一些问题呢？

1. Is the Sketch library file the design system?

   Sketch库文件是设计系统吗？

2. Is the storybook documentation the design system?

   故事书文档是设计系统吗？

3. Is the docz.site markdown documentation the design system?

   是 docz.site 降价文档设计的系统？

4. Should we include the brand guidelines and marketing statements in the system too?

   我们是否也应该在系统中包含品牌指南和营销声明？

Then by looking for the answer, more questions come up:

然后，通过寻找答案，会出现更多问题：

1. Who are the people responsible for it?
   对此负责的人是谁？
2. Is the front-end team the one that is responsible for keeping the documentation of the design system up to date?
   前端团队是负责保持设计系统文档更新的团队吗？
3. Are the designers the ones responsible for the component kit which is actually the design system?
   设计人员是实际上负责设计系统的组件套件的负责人吗？
4. Where does a product owner or any other product member fit in the design system?
   产品所有者或任何其他产品成员在设计系统中适合哪里？
5. Does the business and management have a word in that design system?
   业务和管理层在该设计系统中是否一言不发？
6. Is that only related to components and visual assets, what about non quantitative items?
   那仅与组件和视觉资产有关，非定量项目又如何呢？
7. Can we measure this? How?
   我们可以衡量吗？ 怎么样？

It is easier to think in deliverables, in artifacts, in things, but there can be multiple truths of what a design system is, and it will always depend on the organization that you are in. The design system can be that UI kit, these weekly updates, the retro’s you do every sprint, a well-documented website with all components switching smoothly from visuals to code. It can be just the person communicating between the designers and developers in order to create an understanding between them. You should be open and flexible to identify where the need is and to focus to improve it.

在可交付成果，工件，事物中进行思考更容易，但是关于设计系统的含义可能有多个真相，并且这将始终取决于您所在的组织。设计系统可以是UI套件，这些每周的更新，复古的工作都在您的每一次冲刺中，这是一个文档齐全的网站，其所有组件从视觉到代码的转换都非常流畅。 可以只是在设计师和开发人员之间进行交流以便在他们之间建立理解的人。 您应该开放且灵活地确定需求的位置并集中精力改进需求。

In the end, it all comes to one thing — it is a process, a service, a way of working that serves to communicate between different team members in order to achieve a better, improved, and stable environment for moving forward. The same as the organization, the design system is a living organism. It can evolve and change in order to survive the never-ending dynamic of the world, but in the end, the core remains. You are just building an interactive or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole.

最后，这一切都涉及到一件事–它是一种过程，一种服务，一种工作方式，可用于在不同团队成员之间进行沟通，以实现更好，改进和稳定的前进环境。 与组织一样，设计系统是活的有机体。 它可以进化和改变，以生存于世界无尽的动力中，但最终，核心仍然存在。 您只是在构建一个交互的或相互依赖的项目组，从而形成一个统一的整体。

设计系统定义 (Design system definition)

As humans, we are chains of systems that are constantly communicating with each other, and we try to humanize everything we do. We use systems as tools to communicate complex processes and connect them in a unified and comprehensive way. So by saying all this we should be able to give a definition for design system:

作为人类，我们是不断相互交流的系统链，我们试图使我们所做的一切人性化。 我们使用系统作为工具来传达复杂的流程，并以统一而全面的方式将它们连接起来。 因此，通过所有这些，我们应该能够为设计系统给出一个定义：

A design system is a collaborative method for the creation of cohesive and consistent solutions related to products and services. It is up to the team to define which artifacts and tools are needed to relate and solve this problem.

设计系统是一种协作方法，用于创建与产品和服务相关的内聚和一致的解决方案。 由团队决定是否需要关联和解决此问题的工件和工具。

Illustrations done by Pirate Jazzy

海盗爵士乐 所作的插图