Design tokens, or “tokens” are basic design selections represented
as knowledge. They’re the foundational constructing blocks of design techniques.
Because the launch of the second editor’s
draft of the
design token specification in 2022 and the name for device
makers
to begin implementing and offering suggestions, the panorama of design token
instruments has developed quickly. Instruments like code turbines, documentation
techniques, and UI design software program at the moment are higher outfitted to help design
tokens, underscoring their rising significance in fashionable UI structure.
On this article, I am going to clarify what design tokens are, when they’re helpful and tips on how to apply
them successfully. We’ll deal with key architectural selections which can be usually tough to alter later, together with:
- How one can manage design tokens in layers to stability scalability, maintainability and developer expertise.
- Whether or not all tokens needs to be made accessible to product groups or only a subset.
- How one can automate the distribution technique of tokens throughout groups.
Position of design tokens
Round 2017, I used to be concerned in a big venture that used the Micro
Frontend
Structure to
scale improvement groups. On this setup, totally different groups have been accountable
for various elements of the consumer interface, which might be even on the identical
web page. Every staff may deploy its micro-frontend independently.
There have been varied circumstances the place parts can be displayed on prime of
one another (corresponding to dialogs or toasts showing on prime of content material areas),
which weren’t a part of the identical micro frontend. Groups used the CSS
property z-index to regulate the stacking order, usually counting on magic
numbers—arbitrary values that weren’t documented or standardized. This method
didn’t scale because the venture grew. It led to points that took effort to
repair, as cross-team collaboration was wanted.
The problem was ultimately addressed with design tokens and I believe makes
instance to introduce the idea. The respective token file would possibly
have regarded just like this:
{
"z-index": {
"$kind": "quantity",
"default": {
"$worth": 1
},
"sticky": {
"$worth": 100
},
"navigation": {
"$worth": 200
},
"spinner": {
"$worth": 300
},
"toast": {
"$worth": 400
},
"modal": {
"$worth": 500
}
}
}
The design tokens above symbolize the set of z-index values that may
be used within the utility and the title offers builders a good suggestion of
the place to make use of them. A token file like this may be built-in into the
designers’ workflow and likewise be used to generate code, in a format that
every staff requires. For instance, on this case, the token file may need
been used to generate CSS or SCSS variables:
css
:root {
--z-index-default: 1;
--z-index-sticky: 100;
--z-index-navigation: 200;
--z-index-spinner: 300;
--z-index-toast: 400;
--z-index-modal: 500;
}
scss
$z-index-default: 1; $z-index-sticky: 100; $z-index-navigation: 200; $z-index-spinner: 300; $z-index-toast: 400; $z-index-modal: 500;
What are design tokens?
Salesforce initially launched design tokens to streamline design
updates to a number of
platforms.
The Design Tokens Group Group describes design tokens as “a
methodology for expressing design selections in a platform-agnostic manner so
that they are often shared throughout totally different disciplines, instruments, and
applied sciences
Let’s break this down:
- Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Design tokens act as a standard language
that aligns designers, builders, product managers, and different disciplines. By
providing a single supply of fact for design selections, they be certain that
everybody concerned within the product life cycle is on the identical web page, resulting in extra
environment friendly workflows. - Device integration: Design tokens could be built-in into varied design
and improvement instruments, together with UI design software program, token editors, translation
instruments (code turbines), and documentation techniques. This allows design updates
to be shortly mirrored within the code base and are synchronized throughout groups. - Know-how adaptability: Design tokens could be translated into totally different
applied sciences like CSS, SASS, and JavaScript for the net, and even used on native
platforms like Android and iOS. This flexibility permits design consistency
throughout quite a lot of platforms and units.
Establishing a single supply of fact
A key good thing about design tokens is their skill to function a single
supply of fact for each design and engineering groups. This ensures that
a number of services or products preserve visible and practical
consistency.
A translation
device takes one or
extra design token information as enter and generates platform-specific code as
output. Some translation instruments also can produce documentation for the
design tokens within the type of HTML. On the time of writing, in style
translation instruments embrace Model
Dictionary,
Theo, Diez
or Specify App.
Automated design token distribution
On this part, we’ll discover tips on how to automate the distribution of
design tokens to product groups.
Let’s assume our purpose is to offer groups with up to date, tech-specific
design tokens instantly after a designer makes a change. To attain
this, we will automate the interpretation and distribution course of utilizing a
deployment pipeline for design tokens. Moreover platform-specific code
artifacts (like CSS for the net, XML for Android and so on.), the pipeline would possibly
additionally deploy the documentation for the design tokens.
One essential requirement is preserving design tokens beneath model management.
Fortunately, plugins for in style design instruments like Figma already combine
with Git suppliers like GitHub. It is thought-about greatest apply to make use of the
Git repository as the one supply of fact for design tokens—not the
design device itself. Nonetheless, this requires the plugin to help syncing
each methods between the repository and the design device, which not all
plugins do. As of now, Tokens Studio is a plugin that provides this
bidirectional syncing. For detailed steerage on integrating Tokens Studio
with totally different Git suppliers, please seek advice from their
documentation.
The device lets you configure a goal department and helps a
trunk-based in addition to a pull-request-based workflow.
As soon as the tokens are beneath model management, we will arrange a deployment
pipeline to construct and deploy the artifacts wanted by the product groups,
which embrace platform-specific supply code and documentation. The supply
code is often packaged as a library and distributed by way of an artifact
registry. This method offers product groups management over the improve
cycle. They will undertake up to date kinds by merely updating their
dependencies. These updates might also be utilized not directly by updates of element
libraries that use the token-based kinds.
Determine 2: Automated design token distribution
This total setup has allowed groups at Thoughtworks to roll out
smaller design adjustments throughout a number of front-ends and groups in a single
day.
Totally automated pipeline
Probably the most simple solution to design the pipeline can be a
absolutely automated trunk-based workflow. On this setup, all adjustments
pushed to the principle department will probably be instantly deployed so long as they
move the automated high quality gates.
Such a pipeline would possibly include the next jobs:
- Examine: Validate the design token information utilizing a design token validator
or a JSON validator. - Construct: Use a translation device like Model
Dictionary to transform design token information into
platform-specific codecs. This job may additionally construct the docs utilizing the
translation device or by integrating a devoted documentation device. - Take a look at: This job is extremely depending on the testing technique. Though
some exams could be executed utilizing the design token file straight (like checking the
shade distinction), a standard method is to check the generated code utilizing a
documentation device corresponding to Storybook. Storybook has wonderful take a look at
help for visible regression
exams, accessibility exams, interplay exams, and different take a look at sorts. - Publish: Publish up to date tokens to a bundle supervisor (for instance,
npm). The discharge course of and versioning could be absolutely automated with a bundle
publishing device that’s primarily based on Standard
Commits like
semantic-release.
semantic-release additionally permits the deployment of packages to a number of platforms.
The publish job may additionally deploy documentation for the design tokens. - Notify: Inform groups of the brand new token model by way of e-mail or chat, so
that they’ll replace their dependencies.
Determine 3: Totally automated deployment pipeline
Pipeline together with handbook approval
Typically absolutely automated high quality gates aren’t enough. If a
handbook evaluation is required earlier than publishing, a standard method is to
deploy an up to date model of the documentation with the newest design
token to a preview atmosphere (a short lived atmosphere).
If a device like Storybook is used, this preview would possibly include not
solely the design tokens but in addition present them built-in with the
parts used within the utility.
An approval course of could be carried out by way of a pull-request workflow.
Or, it may be a handbook approval / deployment step within the pipeline.
Determine 4: Deployment pipeline with handbook approval
Organizing tokens in layers
As mentioned earlier, design tokens symbolize design selections as knowledge.
Nonetheless, not all selections function on the identical degree of element. As an alternative,
ideally, normal design selections information extra particular ones. Organizing
tokens (or design selections) into layers permits designers to make
selections on the proper degree of abstraction, supporting consistency and
scalability.
As an illustration, making particular person shade selections for each new element isn’t sensible.
As an alternative, it’s extra environment friendly to outline a foundational shade palette after which
determine how and the place these colours are utilized. This method reduces the
variety of selections whereas sustaining a constant appear and feel.
There are three key varieties of design selections for which design tokens
are used. They construct on prime of each other:
- What design choices can be found to make use of?
- How are these kinds utilized throughout the consumer interface?
- The place precisely are these kinds utilized (wherein parts)?
There are numerous names for these three varieties of tokens (as common,
naming is the exhausting half). On this article, we’ll use the phrases proposed
by Samantha
Gordashko:
possibility tokens, resolution tokens and element tokens.
Let’s use our shade instance as an instance how design tokens can
reply the three questions above.
Possibility tokens: defining what design choices are supplied
Possibility tokens (additionally known as primitive tokens, base tokens, core
tokens, basis tokens or reference tokens) outline what
kinds can be utilized within the utility. They outline issues like shade
palettes, spacing/sizing scales or font households. Not all of them are
essentially used within the utility, however they current affordable
choices.
Utilizing our instance, let’s assume now we have a shade palette with 9 shades for every shade,
starting from very mild to extremely saturated. Beneath, we outline the blue tones and gray tones as option-tokens:
{
"shade": {
"$kind": "shade",
"choices": {
"blue-100": {"$worth": "#e0f2ff"},
"blue-200": {"$worth": "#cae8ff"},
"blue-300": {"$worth": "#b5deff"},
"blue-400": {"$worth": "#96cefd"},
"blue-500": {"$worth": "#78bbfa"},
"blue-600": {"$worth": "#59a7f6"},
"blue-700": {"$worth": "#3892f3"},
"blue-800": {"$worth": "#147af3"},
"blue-900": {"$worth": "#0265dc"},
"grey-100": {"$worth": "#f8f8f8"},
"grey-200": {"$worth": "#e6e6e6"},
"grey-300": {"$worth": "#d5d5d5"},
"grey-400": {"$worth": "#b1b1b1"},
"grey-500": {"$worth": "#909090"},
"grey-600": {"$worth": "#6d6d6d"},
"grey-700": {"$worth": "#464646"},
"grey-800": {"$worth": "#222222"},
"grey-900": {"$worth": "#000000"},
"white": {"$worth": "#ffffff"}
}
}
}
Though it’s extremely helpful to have affordable choices, possibility tokens fall brief
of being enough for guiding builders on how and the place to use them.
Choice tokens: defining how kinds are utilized
Choice tokens (additionally known as semantic tokens or system tokens)
specify how these type choices needs to be utilized contextually throughout
the UI.
Within the context of our shade instance, they could embrace selections like the next:
- grey-100 is used as a floor shade.
- grey-200 is used for the background of disabled parts.
- grey-400 is used for the textual content of disabled parts.
- grey-900 is used as a default shade for textual content.
- blue-900 is used as an accent shade.
- white is used for textual content on accent shade backgrounds.
The corresponding resolution token file would appear to be this:
{
"shade": {
"$kind": "shade",
"selections": {
"floor": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-100}",
"description": "Used as a floor shade."
},
"background-disabled": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-200}",
"description":"Used for the background of disabled parts."
},
"text-disabled": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-400}",
"description": "Used for the textual content of disabled parts."
},
"textual content": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-900}",
"description": "Used as default textual content shade."
},
"accent": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.blue-900}",
"description": "Used as an accent shade."
},
"text-on-accent": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.white}",
"description": "Used for textual content on accent shade backgrounds."
}
}
}
}
As a developer, I might largely have an interest within the selections, not the
choices. For instance, shade tokens sometimes include a protracted checklist of choices (a
shade palette), whereas only a few of these choices are literally utilized in
the appliance. The tokens which can be truly related when deciding which
kinds to use, can be normally the choice tokens.
Choice tokens use
references to the
possibility tokens. I consider organizing tokens this manner as a layered
structure. In different articles, I’ve usually seen the time period tier being
used, however I believe layer is the higher phrase, as there isn’t a bodily
separation implied. The diagram beneath visualizes the 2 layers we talked
about to date:
Determine 5: 2-layer sample
Element tokens: defining the place kinds are utilized
Element tokens (or component-specific tokens) map the resolution
tokens to particular elements of the UI. They present the place kinds are
utilized.
The time period element within the context of design tokens doesn’t at all times
map to the technical time period element. For instance, a button could be
carried out as a UI element in some functions, whereas different
functions simply use the button HTML aspect as a substitute. Element
tokens might be utilized in each circumstances.
Element tokens could be organised in a group referencing a number of resolution tokens. In our instance, this references
would possibly embrace text- and background-colors for various variants of the button (main, secondary) in addition to disabled buttons.
They could additionally embrace references to tokens of different sorts (spacing/sizing, borders and so on.) which I am going to omit within the
following instance:
{
"button": {
"main": {
"background": {
"$worth": "{shade.selections.accent}"
},
"textual content": {
"$worth": "{shade.selections.text-on-accent}"
}
},
"secondary": {
"background": {
"$worth": "{shade.selections.floor}"
},
"textual content": {
"$worth": "{shade.selections.textual content}"
}
},
"background-disabled": {
"$worth": "{shade.selections.background-disabled}"
},
"text-disabled": {
"$worth": "{shade.selections.text-disabled}"
}
}
}
To some extent, element tokens are merely the results of making use of
selections to particular parts. Nonetheless, as this
instance exhibits, this course of isn’t at all times simple—particularly for
builders with out design expertise. Whereas resolution tokens can provide a
normal sense of which kinds to make use of in a given context, element tokens
present further readability.
Determine 6: 3-layer sample
Notice: there could also be “snowflake” conditions the place layers are skipped.
For instance, it won’t be doable to outline a normal resolution for
each single element token, or these selections won’t have been made
but (for instance in the beginning of a venture).
Token scope
I already talked about that whereas possibility tokens are very useful to
designers, they may not be related for utility builders utilizing the
platform-specific code artifacts. Software builders will sometimes be
extra within the resolution/element tokens.
Though token scope shouldn’t be but included within the design token
spec, some design
techniques already separate tokens into non-public (additionally known as inner) and
public (additionally known as world) tokens. For instance, the Salesforce Lightning
Design System launched a flag for every
token. There are
varied the explanation why this may be a good suggestion:
- it guides builders on which tokens to make use of
- fewer choices present a greater developer expertise
- it reduces the file measurement as not all tokens must be included
- non-public/inner tokens could be modified or eliminated with out breaking
adjustments
A draw back of creating possibility tokens non-public is that builders would rely
on designers to at all times make these kinds accessible as resolution or element
tokens. This might develop into a difficulty in case of restricted availability of the
designers or if not all selections can be found, for instance in the beginning of
a venture.
Sadly, there isn’t a standardized answer but for implementing
scope for design tokens. So the method will depend on the tool-chain of the
venture and can most certainly want some customized code.
File-based scope
Utilizing Model Dictionary, we will use a
filter to
expose solely public tokens. Probably the most simple method can be to
filter on the file ending. If we use totally different file endings for element,
resolution and possibility tokens, we will use a filter on the file path, for
instance, to make the choice tokens layer non-public.
Model Dictionary config
const styleDictionary = new StyleDictionary({
"supply": ["color.options.json", "color.decisions.json"],
"platforms": {
"css": {
"transformGroup": "css",
"information": [
{
"destination": "variables.css",
"filter": token => !token.filePath.endsWith('options.json'),
"format": "css/variables"
}
]
}
}
});
The ensuing CSS variables would include
solely these resolution tokens, and never the choice tokens.
Generated CSS variables
:root {
--color-decisions-surface: #f8f8f8;
--color-decisions-background-disabled: #e6e6e6;
--color-decisions-text-disabled: #b1b1b1;
--color-decisions-text: #000000;
--color-decisions-accent: #0265dc;
--color-decisions-text-on-accent: #ffffff;
}
A extra versatile method
If extra flexibility is required, it could be preferable so as to add a scope
flag to every token and to filter primarily based on this flag:
Model Dictionary config
const styleDictionary = new StyleDictionary({
"supply": ["color.options.json", "color.decisions.json"],
"platforms": {
"css": {
"transformGroup": "css",
"information": [
{
"destination": "variables.css",
"filter": {
"public": true
},
"format": "css/variables"
}
]
}
}
});
If we then add the flag to the choice tokens, the ensuing CSS would
be the identical as above:
Tokens with scope flag
{
"shade": {
"$kind": "shade",
"selections": {
"floor": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-100}",
"description": "Used as a floor shade.",
"public": true
},
"background-disabled": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-200}",
"description":"Used for the background of disabled parts.",
"public": true
},
"text-disabled": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-400}",
"description": "Used for the textual content of disabled parts.",
"public": true
},
"textual content": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.grey-900}",
"description": "Used as default textual content shade.",
"public": true
},
"accent": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.blue-900}",
"description": "Used as an accent shade.",
"public": true
},
"text-on-accent": {
"$worth": "{shade.choices.white}",
"description": "Used for textual content on accent shade backgrounds.",
"public": true
}
}
}
}
Generated CSS variables
:root {
--color-decisions-surface: #f8f8f8;
--color-decisions-background-disabled: #e6e6e6;
--color-decisions-text-disabled: #b1b1b1;
--color-decisions-text: #000000;
--color-decisions-accent: #0265dc;
--color-decisions-text-on-accent: #ffffff;
}
Such flags can now even be set by the Figma
UI
(if utilizing Figma variables as a supply of fact for design tokens). It’s
accessible as
hiddenFromPublishing
flag by way of the Plugins API.
Ought to I exploit design tokens?
Design tokens provide vital advantages for contemporary UI structure,
however they is probably not the fitting match for each venture.
Advantages embrace:
- Improved lead time for design adjustments
- Constant design language and UI structure throughout platforms and
applied sciences - Design tokens being comparatively light-weight from an implementation level of
view
Drawbacks embrace:
- Preliminary effort for automation
- Designers may need to (to some extent) work together with Git
- Standardization continues to be in progress
Take into account the next when deciding whether or not to undertake design
tokens:
When to make use of design tokens
- Multi-Platform or Multi-Software Environments: When working throughout
a number of platforms (net, iOS, Android…) or sustaining a number of functions or
frontends, design tokens guarantee a constant design language throughout all of
them. - Frequent Design Modifications: For environments with common design
updates, design tokens present a structured solution to handle and propagate adjustments
effectively. - Giant Groups: For groups with many designers and builders, design
tokens facilitate collaboration. - Automated Workflows: If you happen to’re acquainted with CI/CD pipelines, the
effort so as to add a design token pipeline is comparatively low. There are additionally
industrial choices.
When design tokens won’t be essential
- Small tasks: For smaller tasks with restricted scope and minimal
design complexity, the overhead of managing design tokens won’t be definitely worth the
effort. - No concern with design adjustments: If the pace of design adjustments,
consistency and collaboration between design and engineering aren’t a difficulty,
then you may also not want design tokens.
