On Theme: Design Systems in Depth Five 2026 Predictions for Design Systems with Noelle Lansford
Noelle joins me again for some 2026 predictions trend encapsulations, and we try to unpack the absolute madness of the first two months of 2026.
1️⃣ Designing with code is in, making pictures of UIs is out.
2️⃣ The new critical deliverables for systems teams are design guidelines, agent rules, tokens, and semantic APIs.
3️⃣ We're gonna see a real focus on brand expression, but also on one-offs.
4️⃣ Design system teams, you do organizational behavior change.
5️⃣ The next chapter of the design system narrative is around quality rather than efficiency.
Plus: the rise of the design engineer and a return to the early 2000s ways of working? I hope so!, nothingburger brands, and design systems gatekeeping.
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