Design System Implementation and Digital Rebrand for NZPost

The challenge

• Each platform in NZPost's suite was a completely new experience for the user to learn
• Scrum teams worked in silos, duplicating research, design and coding work
• Designers spent excessive time researching new components and patterns.
• Internal conflicts over insignificant design decisions.
• A fast approaching rebrand meant something needed to change, fast.

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The solution

• We implemented a design system.
• We leveraged Google Materials research-backed open source design system (we didn't need to re-invent the wheel here). Then customised the components to suit our brand identity.
• A single source of truth: A central repository for design elements and guidelines, where every style, element and interaction and  was defined.

Shared responsibility of design by not just designers, but developers, QA and PO's.

• A toolkit that designers could drag and drop pre-defined elements to build screens fast.
• An always-updated design system site for internal and external use.
• A streamlined process to maintain and improve the design system.
• A shared language about design details. (Whenever we need to say 'that's not the right red').

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The impact

‍* Designers weren't walking blindfolded anymore. Every decision, every design element, every interaction was backed by this blueprint.

• It ensured uniformity across platforms. 
• Design variables are centrally managed and many instances are managed in one place.
• We immediately saw a massive reduction in errors and a speed-up in design delivery times.

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Here's how we leveraged the system to overhaul the user experience and rebrand NZPost's digital space.

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• Transformed website from an unsupported platform to a new modern one.
• Designed & built a brand-new parcel tracking tool.
• Designed & built a platform for small businesses to ship parcels.
• Redesigned & built a tool find NZPost locations.
• Redesigned & built a tool find postcodes to send to the right address.
• And as a testament to the design system's power, we upgraded our colors, fonts and brand assets to align with NZPost's new brand identity.