In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, scaling design across a global organization demands more than just aesthetic consistency—it requires robust systems, cross-functional collaboration, and a deep understanding of user needs across regions. At OKX, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange platform available on both mobile and web, design operates at scale through a centralized yet agile framework known as OKDS (OK Design Systems). This article explores how OKX empowers its 160+ global designers with a unified design language, standardized tooling, and scalable infrastructure—enabling seamless product experiences across Lite and Advanced modes.
The Structure of OKX’s Design Organization
OKX maintains a dual-track design approach: one focused on Lite mode for new or casual users, and another on Advanced mode tailored for experienced traders. These tracks are supported by two distinct design organizations, each aligned with product-specific goals while adhering to a shared design system.
At the core of this ecosystem is the Design Systems (DS) team, composed of four individual contributors (ICs) reporting directly to the Head of Design in the U.S. and China. Despite its small size, this team plays an outsized role in shaping the entire product experience. With members distributed across time zones—from California to Singapore, Turkey, Ireland, and beyond—the team operates in a largely flat, autonomous, and asynchronous manner.
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Core Responsibilities of the Design Systems Team
The OKDS team is responsible for creating and maintaining the foundational elements that ensure visual and functional consistency across OKX’s platforms. Key responsibilities include:
- Developing and owning Figma component libraries used by all product designers
- Tracking adoption metrics for design assets across teams and platforms
- Monitoring implementation in code via engineering dashboards
- Creating detailed documentation, usage guidelines, and build specifications
- Supporting high-velocity feature development in response to regulatory or leadership directives
- Establishing foundational design tokens for color, typography, spacing, radius, and iconography
- Championing design consistency across a vast network of global contributors
- Collaborating in Jira to resolve live bugs and track active initiatives
This lean but highly impactful team ensures that every designer and engineer at OKX works from the same playbook—reducing redundancy, improving efficiency, and accelerating time-to-market.
Inside OKDS: Figma Libraries and System Architecture
Since its inception in July 2023, OKDS has rapidly evolved into a comprehensive design ecosystem built entirely within Figma. The system is structured into three primary libraries:
1. Foundation Library
This library houses all atomic design tokens, including:
- Color palettes and semantic naming conventions
- Typography scales and font weights
- Spacing systems (8px baseline grid)
- Border radius values
- Iconography sets and illustration styles
As a senior contributor, I led the development of core color tokens, icon design standards, spacing logic, and corner radius rules—ensuring alignment with both brand identity and usability best practices.
2. Component Library
The component library contains all reusable UI elements such as buttons, bottom sheets, chips, tabs, modals, cards, and navigation patterns. These components are built with variants, auto-layout, and constraints to support dynamic content and responsive behavior.
I contributed approximately 40% of the component designs, including layout templates used across key user flows. Additionally, I worked closely with infrastructure engineers to mirror these components in code—ensuring pixel-perfect fidelity and technical feasibility.
3. Documentation Library
Perhaps the most critical part of OKDS is its documentation layer. This library provides:
- Usage guidelines for each component
- Accessibility standards
- State behaviors (hover, active, disabled)
- Responsive breakpoints
- Integration specs for developers
I authored roughly 75% of the documentation, focusing on clarity, completeness, and searchability so that any designer or engineer can quickly understand how to use each asset correctly.
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Operational Workflow and Cross-Functional Collaboration
Despite geographical dispersion, the OKDS team maintains a disciplined operational rhythm:
- Weekly internal syncs for strategic alignment and progress reviews
- Bi-weekly engineering syncs with the central infrastructure team to submit build requests, conduct QA, and review completed work
- Daily collaboration via Jira, Lark, and Figma comments for issue tracking and feedback loops
A typical week involves:
- 5–10 one-on-one sessions with product designers for reviews or troubleshooting
- Hands-on code reviews with squad engineers to validate token usage
- Active Figma development: building new components, refining documentation, or supporting urgent feature launches
- Data analysis using Sheets and Tables to measure adoption rates and identify gaps
- Live QA testing across iOS, Android, and web to ensure cross-platform consistency
- Presentations or workshops to onboard new teams or share system updates
This blend of technical rigor, mentorship, and real-time support enables OKDS to function as both a governance body and an enabler of innovation.
Impact and Career Growth Through Systemic Design
Working at OKX has been instrumental in expanding my professional capabilities beyond individual contribution. While I entered with strong expertise in Figma and visual design, OKX provided the environment to grow into roles involving:
- Mentorship of junior designers across regions
- Project prioritization within a quarterly roadmap framework
- Metrics-driven decision-making based on adoption analytics
- Stakeholder communication through concise executive reporting
The autonomy afforded by the flat organizational structure fostered self-direction and accountability—skills essential for senior designers operating at scale.
Moreover, seeing over 160 designers adopt and rely on systems I helped build has been deeply rewarding. It underscores the power of design systems not just as technical tools, but as cultural catalysts for alignment and excellence.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is a design system, and why does it matter at scale?
A: A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that teams use to build consistent user interfaces. At scale, it reduces duplication, speeds up development, and ensures brand coherence across products and regions.
Q: How do you measure the success of a design system?
A: Success is measured through adoption rates (how many teams use components), implementation accuracy (fidelity in code), reduction in design debt, and feedback from designers/engineers on usability.
Q: How does OKX handle regional differences in design?
A: While core components remain consistent, localized adaptations—such as text length, icon interpretation, or layout direction—are documented within OKDS guidelines to maintain usability without fragmenting the system.
Q: Can small teams benefit from a design system?
A: Absolutely. Even small teams can start with foundational elements like colors, typography, and basic components. As the product grows, so can the system—making early investment highly strategic.
Q: What tools does OKX use for its design operations?
A: The primary tools are Figma (design), Jira (project tracking), Lark (communication), and internal databases for analytics. Documentation lives within Figma and shared cloud docs.
Q: How do you balance innovation with standardization?
A: By allowing controlled flexibility—teams can propose new patterns through a review process. If validated, they’re incorporated into OKDS. This keeps the system evolving without sacrificing consistency.
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Final Thoughts
Scaling design at a global fintech platform like OKX isn't about controlling every pixel—it's about empowering hundreds of creators with the right tools, guidance, and structure to innovate efficiently. Through OKDS, we’ve built more than a library; we’ve built a shared language that bridges cultures, time zones, and disciplines.
As digital products continue to expand across borders, the principles applied here—modularity, documentation, measurement, and collaboration—will remain essential for any organization aiming to deliver cohesive experiences worldwide.