DEV LAUNCHERS

Universal Design System Maintenance

& Component Building

Company Overview

Dev Launchers is a global nonprofit organization that helps people from diverse backgrounds launch careers in tech by providing hands-on experience through building real, open-source software projects, connecting them with mentors, and offering educational resources in a supportive, collaborative environment

Role

I currently serve as a Senior UX/UI Designer and Design System Product Owner at Dev Launchers, where I focus on the universal design system supporting four internal, open-source products. In this expanded role, I help guide design direction, prioritize system improvements, and support cross-functional alignment across product, engineering, and research teams.

My work centers on building scalable, consistent components and patterns that improve usability and streamline collaboration across teams. I also manage design system initiatives and backlog priorities to ensure ongoing iteration and long-term system health.

From discovery through delivery, I partner closely with development, product, and research to ensure the system is practical, accessible, and aligned with real product needs.

Team

I’m part of a team of five designers dedicated to the design system. Beyond our team, we collaborate cross-functionally with product managers, developers, and researchers across multiple product teams. Each product team is structured cross-functionally and supported by a mentor, enabling us to contribute to products like Idea Space, Dev Recruit, AI Ally, and User Profile & Community.

IdeaSpace

Our internal platform for idea capture, evaluation, and prioritization. Members propose ideas, collaborate on problem framing, and move the best concepts into active roadmaps.

AI Ally

An exploration space for AI-assisted tools that augment design, research, and development (e.g., content scaffolds, handoff helpers, accessibility checks).

Dev Recruit

Dev Launchers’ recruiting and onboarding platform. PMs post openings, prospective members apply, and the system streamlines matching and placement.

User Profile

Member profiles and engagement: contributions, badges, team history, and ways to connect across the community.

Tools

Figma
Figjam
GitHub
GitBook
tl;dv
Discord

Contributions & Impact

Rebuilt responsive layouts across mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop breakpoints using Figma auto layout

→ Ensured consistency across devices and reduced layout inconsistencies during developer handoff

Defined and prioritized design system components to support evolving product requirements
→ Improved system efficiency and usability by aligning components with real user and team needs while minimizing duplication

Applied design tokens for system-wide spacing, themes, and border variables
→ Improved visual consistency and enabled scalable updates across multiple products

Designed touch-friendly UI elements with semantic greyscale and brand colors

→ Enhanced accessibility and usability, especially for mobile interactions

Structured reusable components with clear layer naming for shared library integration.

→ Streamlined collaboration and reduced duplication across teams

Redesigned logo and text components to align with evolving design system standards
→ Strengthened brand consistency across all supported products

Improved design token alignment and component scalability
→ Increased long-term maintainability and ease of adoption for cross-functional teams

Defined and evolved the direction of the universal design system supporting four internal open-source products

→ Ensured long-term scalability, consistency, and alignment across product teams

Prioritized and managed design system initiatives and backlog items in collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders

→ Improved transparency, delivery flow, and system-level decision-making

Led design system and UX team working sessions, critiques, and alignment meetings

→ Strengthened collaboration, improved design quality, and increased consistency across teams

Partnered with engineering, product, and research teams to align system priorities with technical and user needs

→ Reduced misalignment during development and improved implementation accuracy

Built and maintained scalable UI components and patterns within a component-based design system

→ Increased reuse across products and reduced redundant design and development work

Improved documentation and structure of design system elements, including naming conventions and usage guidelines
→ Streamlined onboarding and improved design-to-development handoff efficiency

Reviewed design deliverables and provided structured feedback to ensure consistency and usability standards
→ Improved overall design quality and reduced iteration cycles during implementation

Applied accessibility and usability standards across system components and product interfaces

→ Ensured inclusive, touch-friendly, and compliant user experiences across platforms

Impact Summary

My contributions help strengthen the scalability and consistency of a universal design system supporting four products. By designing and building reusable components, improving design token implementation, and refining responsive patterns, I enable more efficient collaboration across design, development, and product teams while supporting long-term system maintainability.