At Knapsack, we’re big believers in the power of shared learning. This collection of articles, interviews, podcasts, and books has sparked conversations and shaped our thinking. Some are practical, others are provocative, but all offer insights into the future of how we design, build, and create.
We hope these reads inspire you as much as they’ve inspired us—and maybe even get you thinking in new directions.
The Value of Design Systems in Changing Times
Knapsack’s CEO, Chris Strahl, recommended Are Design Systems a zero-interest rate phenomenon? to the whole Knapsack team. It’s an interesting and insightful look into the triggers that motivate an organization to set up and continue to invest in a design system regardless of economic headwinds.
Another article that circulated around the Knapsack Slack channels was Do More with Less: Digital Leadership in Lean Times. This article by Josh Clark of Big Medium offers practical suggestions on how to think about and deal with the resource challenges many teams face in the wake of layoffs and the rapid changes AI is fueling. While aimed at digital production leadership, it’s a great read for pretty much anyone.
In Josh’s article, he talks about earning your keep and the need to demonstrate the value you, your team, and your product bring to the organization. This was a concern we heard mentioned countless times at our Patterns Leadership Summits and adoption was the go-to metric almost everyone was agonizing over. It’s an important metric, without adoption it’s difficult to get value out of the design system your organization is, hopefully, investing in.
Brian Dorsey, Director of Platform Product Management at Mastercard Data & Services gave a variation of his A recipe for platform features adoption at Mastercard presentation at the D.C. leadership summit walking through the three phases his team went through when trying to drive adoption of Mastercard’s Graphite Design System. Interestingly, the adoption rate was not what the team used to measure success. Success was based on how much faster the design system made people, how well the team’s support was rated, and how likely people were to recommend using the platform. Brian’s team only pushed for further adoption when they knew the value their system provided was felt and understood by their organization.
This focus on measuring the value or at least the perceived value of a design system, not its use, resonates deeply with how Knapsack thinks and talks about design systems and digital production metrics. We are (in)famous for proclaiming that Design System Adoption Isn’t the True Measure of Success. That’s not to say that adoption isn’t important, but it’s not what we think your primary measure of value should be.
The Role of AI in Design and Digital Systems
As we hit the halfway point in what has already been a chaotic decade, the pace of change is only going to accelerate. Digital production processes will mature and evolve as AI becomes more integrated into our workflows, and re-platforming initiatives will continue to be a priority as executive leaders try to position their organizations for the next leap forward. Design systems can be a catalyst for this move forward by demonstrating their ability to create organizational value and competitive advantages right now and in helping prepare for an AI-driven future.
Our friend Dave Calleja, Head of Design and Design Systems Practice Lead at dentsu did an interview for dentsu’s blog focused on the role of AI in the design process and design systems. He goes into more detail in episode #111 of the Design Systems Podcast where he and Chris dive into the importance of design systems to customer experiences and how modern tools help scale personalized experiences that align with brand vision. Both are great for anyone interested in the possible impact of AI.
For anyone who is fascinated by AI, the human brain and what artificial intelligence might do for human intelligence, Knapsack’s VP of Design Leadership, Richard Banfield suggested A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains.
Sticking with AI, Sam Anderson, Director of Design at Intuit posted an article called Design Systems are Infrastructure: The evolution of design systems in the age of AI. Sam offers some great points about the nature of design systems and the need for the guidance they provide in a world where AI-driven design has the potential to commoditize user experiences.
Building for the Future: Systems and Infrastructure
Knapsack EVP of Strategy, Andrew Rohman spends A LOT of time thinking about digital production and the systems that underpin and empower us to build our digital reality. While design systems often deal mostly with front-end interfaces, the way the back-end of applications are built is also changing dramatically. What is a composable infrastructure and what are its key benefits? is a good read for anyone who wants to develop a deeper understanding of what’s behind the UI.
If you really want to dig into the foundations that underpin how we think and build, we’d recommend listening to episode #122 of the Design Systems Podcast. In this episode, Chris Strahl and Ben Callahan, co-founder of Sparkbox, discuss the critical role of language in team dynamics, problem-solving, and system structures. Language is what gives order to the abstract and allows us to build a shared understanding. We’d also recommend Design Systems by Alla Kholmatova, a book that’s foundational to Knapsack’s philosophy and approach.
Another read that’s great for expanding the way we think and build is Sheryl Cababa’s book Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers. Challenging the limitations of user-centered thinking, Sheryl advocates for a systems approach. While user-centered design focuses on individual touchpoints, systems thinking looks at the interconnected impacts across the entire ecosystem—mapping relationships, anticipating ripple effects, and building solutions that adapt to complex realities. For designers, it’s a call to consider how their work shapes, and is shaped by, the systems around it.
Foundational Reading for Everyone
A recommendation from Chris Strahl that’s less about design and development work and more about human experience, Stolen Focus by Johann Hari is a read worth your time and attention. As builders and consumers of digital products, it’s important to be aware of how the digital world impacts our physical world experience and our ability to think and achieve our goals.
Let’s end with one of the most obvious picks, Atomic Design by Brad Frost. This is more or less required reading for anyone working in digital design and production. Brad’s book has shaped the foundations of how many of us think and build; and even if you’ve already read it, the book is worth coming back to every few years.
We hope this curated list sparks curiosity and inspires you to think deeply about the future of design, digital production, and life more broadly.
Curious about Knapsack and the way we approach design and development? Register for our upcoming webinar with Knapsack founders Chris Strahl and Evan Lovely, where they’ll share their vision for 2025 and beyond. Join the conversation and shape the future of digital production with us!
