As Auris transitioned into a standalone product organization, the design system it inherited was fragmented, inconsistently applied, and disconnected from engineering workflows. What existed functioned more as a visual reference than a true product foundation.

I was brought in to transform this system into a scalable, governed design infrastructure that could support a full platform redesign while enabling teams to continue shipping.

This effort went beyond UI standardization. It required aligning design and engineering around a shared system, introducing governance, and establishing a long-term strategy that connected design decisions directly to product velocity and quality.

I led the migration and redefinition of the system into what became Nova, including the setup of a new Figma Enterprise structure, component governance models, contribution workflows, and design QA standards. This included close coordination with engineering to ensure system parity in code, as well as partnership with an external design agency to align on future-state patterns and handoff readiness.

To accelerate progress, I incorporated AI-assisted workflows for system audits, documentation structuring, and early concept exploration. This allowed us to move faster through ambiguity while maintaining a high bar for clarity and consistency.

The result was a foundational shift. Design moved from fragmented execution to a system-driven approach, enabling clearer decision-making, more efficient handoffs, and a scalable path forward for the product.

Project Overview

Created the foundation for faster platform-wide redesign AND
future product velocity

Design Systems as Business Infrastructure

A growing payroll/HCM platform needed to migrate, modernize, and govern legacy design system while supporting active product delivery.

The challenge