The Consistency Problem
Design and engineering drift apart. Colors hardcoded. Spacing inconsistent. React components don't match Figma. iOS and web diverge. Each platform becomes its own silo.
Token-Based Architecture
We built a single source of truth: design tokens (colors, spacing, typography, motion, shadows) in JSON. Generated CSS variables, iOS/Android tokens, Figma variables. One change = all platforms update.
Token Pipeline
The Stack
Style Dictionary for token transformation. Figma API sync. Automated PR when tokens change. Component library in React + Storybook. Platform-specific token outputs (CSS, Swift, Kotlin).
Impact
Design-to-code consistency 98%. Global rebrand shipped in 3 days. Cross-platform parity achieved. Engineering velocity up 2.1x on UI tasks.
Key Takeaways
Related Insights
WCAG 2.2 AA minimum — accessibility debt compounds fast
Accessibility-First UI
Building semantic, keyboard-navigable, screen-reader-optimized interfaces
MVP does not mean "skip fundamentals" — it means "prioritize ruthlessly"
Shipping MVPs Without Debt
Fast iteration without accumulating technical debt
