My experience understanding what it takes to design a design system component from scratch.

It’s been over 8 months since I joined MediBuddy. Before working on the Mozaic Design System, I held a common misconception—that designing a component was a quick, straightforward task. I assumed that creating a polished design with a few variations would be enough to call it complete.

But as I immersed myself in the process, I realized that designing a component is far more intricate. It’s not just about how it looks, but how it functions, adapts, and serves multiple teams across diverse products and platforms.

In this blog, I’ll share my insights and experiences—shedding light on the thoughtful, collaborative process that goes into creating a Design system component.

If you’re new to design systems or curious about the work behind them, you may have asked yourself:

• What is it really like to design a component?
• Why can something so simple-looking take weeks—or even months—to perfect?

By the end of this article, I hope to answer both questions and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the craft, decisions, and collaboration that bring a design system component to life. So, let’s dive in.

Here’s a brief outline of what I’ve covered:

📑 Auditing Products:

The process begins with auditing existing components used across MediBuddy’s wide range of products. Given this diversity, understanding varied use cases and spotting common interaction patterns is crucial to creating components that work seamlessly across different products and contexts. I worked closely with all the design team members, who helped me identify use cases and problems I wasn’t aware of.