Project Overview

The Challenge

Initially, the design system's value at Gojek was mainly perceived in terms of visual consistency and developer efficiency. However, to justify its expansion, it was necessary to measure its wider impact on cost savings and time-to-market.
Although adoption and usage metrics of the design system were positive, they didn't fully align with the business metrics prioritized by leadership. It was critical to show how the design system reduced costs and improved efficiency to encourage broader adoption.
To argue for continued investment in the design system, a data-driven approach focused on cost savings and efficiency improvements was required. This approach was crucial to demonstrate the system's strategic value throughout the organization.

Focus on Time & Cost: Establish these core metrics as the foundation for calculating the return on investment (ROI) of the design system. It's important to determine hourly rates for designers and engineers.
Decision-Making Framework: A model was developed to evaluate the time and cost implications of design system choices. This framework enables teams to optimize solutions by balancing between system-level updates and local customization.
Stakeholder-Centric Metrics: Prioritize metrics according to audience concerns. Highlight time and cost savings for product and business leaders, while emphasizing efficiency and quality assurance for design and development teams.
Advanced Tool Exploration: Investigate tools such as Cogulator and scientific models (GOMS, KLM) for highly accurate time-based analysis. This demonstrates a commitment to continuously refining measurement techniques.

To illustrate how time, cost, and efficiency are central to design system value, consider the following scenarios:

Problem: A widely used HEX color across 1000 instances needs updating.
Manual Approach Calculation:
- Time to change 1 HEX value (including mistakes) = 30 seconds
- Instances to change = 1000
- Total time = ~8.4 hours
- Designer hourly rate = $20
- Total Cost = $168
Design System Approach Calculation:
- Time to change HEX in the color library = 30 seconds
- Instances to change (just the token) = 1
- Total time = 30 seconds (0.008 hours)
- Designer hourly rate = $20
- Total Cost = $0.16
Savings & Efficiency: The design system approach saves $167.84 and achieves a 99.9% efficiency gain.