AI and Design Systems
Learn more about how to use AI with design systems
Welcome!
AI & Design Systems Benefits Infomercial
Course Goals & Outcomes
Who This Course Is For
Meet Your Teachers
Our Collective AI Experience
Principles & Our Approach to AI
What To Expect
Chapter 1 Introduction
How did we get here? A brief history of technology & computing
History of design systems
AI as mortar for design system foundations
Design system definition
A design system's ingredients
The value of design systems
What's Hard About Design Systems?
A Brief History of AI
LLM Overview
LLMs in Action
AI for Digital Product Work
The Value of AI
What's Hard About AI?
Design systems + AI Overview
DS+AI Use Cases
Redefining Digital Process
Tools Orientation Intro
Design System Tools Intro
Figma Intro
Figma Component Walkthrough
Figma Variables Walkthrough
Code and Storybook Intro
Code and Storybook Walkthrough
Publishing a Component Library in Code
Documentation Tools
Design System Tools Summary
AI Tooling Overview Introduction
What are LLMs and how do they work?
What LLMs are not
Major LLM players, overview, and features
How we actually use LLMs
AI Supporting Tools Introduction
Agents
Subagents
MCPs
Why MCPs matter
Skills
How it all connects
AI Tools Recap
Chapter 1 Review
Chapter 1 Homework & Next Steps
Chapter 2 Introduction
Installing Claude Desktop
Installing Cursor
Claude Code
Other Tools
API Keys Introduction
Claude API Keys
OpenAI API Keys
Gemini API Keys
Figma Personal Access Tokens
Configuration Introduction
Configuring Cursor
Installing Figma MCP in Cursor
Installing Figma MCP in Claude Desktop
Figma MCP Connectors, Plugins, and Skills
Why Git Matters in the AI Age
Git Definition
Installing Git
A Quick Note About Access and Security
Creating a GitHub Account
Installing GitHub CLI
Git Core Concepts Cheat Sheet
Git Demo: Making A New Website
Git Init & Interacting With Git
Git Commit & History
AI-Generated Code & Git Commits
Publishing Repository To GitHub
Adding GitHub Collaborators
Creating A New Branch
Publishing A New Branch
Merging & Pull Requests
Syncing Changes From GitHub
Git Concepts Recap
Creating GitHub Issues
Supercharging GitHub Issues with AI
AI & Design Systems Environments & Tools Resources
Tool Installation Cheat Sheet
Chapter 2 Summary
Chapter 2 Homework & Next Steps
Chapter 3 Introduction
Creating Design Systems
Demo Design Systems Introduction
The Check Engine Light For Design Systems
How AI Can Help With Assessing A Design System
Design System Inspection Qualities
Design System Inspection Stations
Installing & Using The DS Inspection Kit
Station 1: Coverage & Gaps
Figma MCP - Installing into Claude Desktop App
Figma MCP - Installing Into Claude Code in the Terminal
Figma MCP - Translating Figma Component into Code
Figma MCP - Translating Component Variant in Code Into Figma
Eddie: Clarifying Architecture, Finding More Gaps, and Capturing Tickets
Eddie: Building a Loading State Button
Station 1: Review & Considerations
Station 2: Best Practices
Introducing & Configuring FigmaLint
Analyzing a Component with FigmaLint
Fixing Component Issues with FigmaLint
Improving Soul Patrol components with FigmaLint
Figma Console MCP - Install into Claude Code
Figma Console MCP - Assessing Component Synchronization in Design and Code
Figma Console MCP - Bidirectional Figma and Code Component Changes From Assessment
Figma Console MCP - Create New Tokens
Figma Console MCP - Implement New Tokens Into Figma Component Library
Figma Console MCP - Translate New Tokens Into Code and Storybook
Eddie: Fixing the Danger Button Dead Prop
Station 2: Recap & Considerations
Station 3: Accessibility
Eddie: Fixing Modal Focus Trap
Station 3: Accessibility Recap & Considerations
Station 4: Shared Language
Eddie: Normalizing Shared Language with Knockout
Station 4: Shared Language Recap & Considerations
Station 5: Testing & Validation
Deterministic and Agentic testing with FigmaLint
Evals Testing
Playwright Testing & Self-Healing Loops
Eddie: Closing Keyboard & Behavioral Testing Gaps
Station 5: Testing & Validation Recap & Considerations
Station 6: Orchestration
🆕 Context-Based Design Systems Overview
Eddie: Fixing Synchronization in Knowledge Graph & CLAUDE.md
Station 6: Orchestration Recap & Considerations
Station 7: Governance & Version Control
Eddie: Improving Governance with Branch Protection and PR Template
Eddie: Using Figma Console MCP to Create Eddie-s Governance Diagram
Station 7: Governance & Version Control Recap & Considerations
Station 8: Feedback & Adoption
Eddie: Feedback & Adoption
Station 8: Feedback & Adoption Recap & Considerations
Station 9: Machine Readable Docs & Context
Company Docs and Figma MCP Tools
Generating documentation from Figma with Company Docs
Eddie: Fix Machine-Readable Docs & Context
Station 9: Machine Readable Docs & Context Recap & Considerations
Station 10: Agent Access
Publishing docs via Mintlify
Publishing & Using Company Docs MCP
Eddie: Publishing Eddie-Brain MCP
Station 10: Agent Access Recap & Considerations
Eddie: Drumroll, Please! New DS Inspection Results
Chapter 3 Summary, Homework, and Next Steps
Chapter 4 Introduction
🆕 Types of Product Work & The Redefined Process
🆕 Discovery & Strategy
bradfrost.com - Introducing The Redesign Project
bradfrost.com - Introducing bfw-process and SPEC
bradfrost.com - Reviewing The Project SPEC
bradfrost.com - Installing and Running the Product Inspection
bradfrost.com - Product Inspection Results & Work Order
🆕 Discovery & Strategy Recap and Considerations
🆕 Experience Design
🆕 Static Artifacts in the AI Age
Using Figma MCP to Generate a DS-Powered Login Page
Building a Soul Patrol Page in Figma Using the Figma MCP and Claude Skill
🆕 Static Artifacts Recap & Considerations
🆕 Prototyping
🆕 Prototyping Without The Design System
Head to Head AI Prototyping Showdown
Figma Make
Bolt
v0
Claude Design
Lovable
Prototyping Wrap Up & Other Options
🆕 Prototyping Without The Design Recap & Considerations
🆕 Prototyping With the Design System
bradfrost.com - Generating A Footer With And Without System Guardrails
bradfrost.com - Keeping Product On The Eddie Rails: Multi-Phase bfw-process, Settings, Rules, & Validation
Story UI with Soul Patrol Design System Introduction
Installing Story UI into Soul Patrol Design System
Using Story UI to Create Sign In Page
Introducing Storybook MCP
Installing & Configuring Storybook MCP
Running Storybook MCP
Generating a Login Form with Storybook MCP
Design System Extraction from Production Application
🆕 Prototyping With the Design System Recap
🆕 Design Phase Recap
🆕 Engineering & Infrastructure
🆕 The Steel Curtain
🆕 Engineering Demos
🆕 Ongoing Feature Work
Translating Soul Patrol Page from Figma into Code Using the Figma Console MCP
🆕 Greenfield Work
🆕 Legacy Product Work
bradfrost.com - Fixing the most urgent inspection issues with Declarative Shadow DOM
bradfrost.com - Adopting the Eddie page shell, header, and footer
bradfrost.com - Creating an adoption plan and getting quick wins
bradfrost.com - Improving the article template
bradfrost.com - Timeline component adoption
bradfrost.com - Full Eddie Adoption Walkthrough & Recap
🆕 Rebrands & Rethemes
Add Dark Mode To Soul Patrol Across Platforms With Figma Console MCP, Skills, and Scripts
🆕 Engineering Recap & Considerations
🆕 Chapter 4 Summary, Homework, and Next Steps
Chapter 5 Introduction
🆕 Agents As Users
🆕 Generative UI
Understanding AI-Generated Interfaces with A2UI
🆕 Generative UI Demo - DS+AI Course Resources Website
🆕 Generative UI Recap & Considerations
🆕 Hyperpersonalization
🆕 Hyper-Personalized Website Browser Plugin Demo
🆕 Hyperpersonalization Recap & Considerations
🆕 The Future is Wide Open
🆕 Speech-To-Text Accounting App Demo
🆕 Realtime UI Demo
🆕 Exploring The Creative Infinite
🆕 The Future is Wide Open Recap & Considerations
🆕 Chapter 5 Summary, Homework, and Next Steps