On Theme: Design Systems in Depth

On Theme: Design Systems in Depth

Elyse Holladay

Episodes 24
Avg. Duration 49m
Activity Highly Active
Since Oct 2024
Latest Episode Mar 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Consistency
50%
Hosting
feeds.buzzsprout.com

About This Podcast

Exploring how successful design systems get built, maintained, and deliver impact. Design systems is having a major reinvention moment, and I want to share what's working from design system practitioners out there forging the way. Expect aha moments, actionable insights, thoughtful discussions, and spicy takes from accomplished design system practitioners. Hosted by Elyse Holladay.

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Recent Episodes

S2E2 Five 2026 Predictions for Design Systems with Noelle Lansford

Mar 02, 2026 54m Transcript

Noelle joins me again for some 2026 predictions trend encapsulations, and we try to unpack the absolute madness of the first two months of 2026. 1️⃣  Designing with code is in, making pictures of UIs…

S2E1 2025 Predictions Recap with Noelle Lansford

Feb 09, 2026 41m Transcript

My very first minisode of the entire podcast was some 2025 predictions, and a lot has changed. (Honestly, what was I thinking trying to make predictions in the era of AI? fml) Noelle Lansford joined…

S1 On Theme S1 Minisode 4: Converge conference 2025 Recap

Nov 10, 2025 30m Bonus Transcript

I'm back from Zeroheight's Converge conference in Bristol, UK, with my recap and thoughts. In this minisode, find out my three major themes from the event: reducing complexity, shifting towards code…

S1 On Theme S1 Minisode 3: This summer's AI vibe shift and conference news!

Sep 21, 2025 19m Bonus Transcript

Surprise minisode! In this quick episode, hear a few ways AI tools are useful for design systems now, my new favorite design-eng handoff tool, and three can't-miss industry events this fall.📲 Send me…

S1E17 Creativity and design system leadership in the age of AI, with Natalya Shelburne — #17

May 12, 2025 58m Transcript

Chat, this is the last episode of season one! Thank you for listening and supporting the show! There's no better way to wrap up, IMO, than an optimistic and curious exploration of what it means to be…

S1E16 But "design systems as infrastructure" is boring, with Sam Anderson — #16

May 05, 2025 47m Transcript

Y’all, I’ll be honest. Some days, I’m scared and nervous and uncomfortable with AI’s emergence, and implications, too. But I am also curiously optimistic, and more importantly — I don’t want to use…

S1E15 Naming is hard, but have you tried working with people? with Guy Segal — #15

Apr 28, 2025 1h 5m Transcript

Guy Segal joins Elyse to unpack the messy, complicated world of… people. Guy shares practical strategies from his experience at Thomson Reuters, including the powerful "pre-mortem" exercise he used…

S1E14 The Four Quadrants of Design System Impact, with Ben Callahan — #14

Apr 21, 2025 1h 13m Transcript

Ben Callahan joins Elyse for a fun conversation on creating impact with design systems. Ben shares insights from his consulting experience, discussing common pitfalls like organizations expecting a…

S1E13 Shipping new ways of working to a classic organization with the One UPS system, with Marcela Rodriguez Joos — #13

Apr 14, 2025 54m Transcript

Marcela Rodriguez Joos shares the story behind the One UPS project, a massive effort to modernize and unify UPS’ brand and digital experiences through a new design system. Marcela reveals how a “why…

S1E12 The flaws of the “accessibility is built in to the design system” argument, with Daniel Henderson-Ede — #12

Apr 07, 2025 38m Transcript

Ever had a team come to you after an a11y audit like, "but I used the design system, why does my product have accessibility defects??" Daniel Henderson-Ede, one of design systems' leading…

S1E11 Help, I'm starting a new design system job! with Amy Ogg — #11

Mar 31, 2025 59m Transcript

This one’s a little bit different than some of the projects and topics that we've had on the podcast so far — we’re talking about starting a new role. I think it's one of the hardest things that we…

S1E10 Hand off the API: a design & build workflow for components, with Jeff Pelletier — #10

Mar 24, 2025 50m Transcript

Design systems aren’t just about components—they’re about how teams work together to build better UI. Jeff Pelletier, a frontend engineer with a design background, joins the show to talk about…

S1E9 Bye Purple! A redesign powered by local & global design system layers at Spotify, with Smith Schwartz & Tyce Clee — #09

Mar 17, 2025 56m Transcript

Spotify’s ad platform just got a serious glow-up, and Smith and Tyce are here to tell us how they pulled it off. Smith Schwartz, Product Design Manager, and Tyce Clee, Engineering Manager, walk us…

S1E8 What happens when your system can’t support your flagship product?, with Adriana Morales — #08

Mar 10, 2025 57m Transcript

Adriana Morales from HEB (aka the best grocery store) poses a tricky question for the show: what happens when your design system can't support all your products, or your flagship product? Hashtag…

S1E7 I’m a design system consumer now: lessons from the other side, with Beau Ulrey — #07

Mar 03, 2025 43m Transcript

I invited Beau to the podcast because of his great Medium articles on design systems... but he's not working on a system team right now! Beau shares his experiences on both sides of the—fence?…

S1E6 Building a multi-brand joint venture design system for BetMGM, with ToniAnn Drenckhahn — #06

Feb 24, 2025 1h 2m Transcript

ToniAnn joins the show to share her experience building a multi-brand design system for BetMGM and Entain's joint venture. This episode is our first project deep dive and it's full of legacy…

S1E5 Stop waiting for permission! and other ways to show design systems value, with Brian Alfaro — #05

Feb 17, 2025 42m Transcript

If the way we're building design systems has a fatal flaw, it's "waiting for enough investment to get it right." In this episode, Brian teaches us to not wait for permission and how your product…

S1E4 All the things you shouldn’t do for design system success, with Dan Mall — #04

Feb 10, 2025 54m Transcript

I'm thrilled to have the one and only Dan Mall on the show, and in this episode, we get deep into all the things you maybe don't want to do if you want your design system to be successful. Dan shares…

S1E3 Layoffs, rebrands, and getting "zero results" from your design system, with Noelle Lansford — #03

Feb 03, 2025 58m Transcript

You can't talk about design systems lately without addressing the elephant in the room: layoffs. Noelle walks us through her experience of multiple layoffs in one year, why 2023 was so different than…

S1E2 When Design Systems became A Thing with Jina Anne — #02

Jan 27, 2025 54m Transcript

Jina Anne gives us a history of the journey from early style guides to widespread industry adoption of design systems, and the challenges and successes. We explore how tokens came to be, how it feels…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does On Theme: Design Systems in Depth have?

On Theme: Design Systems in Depth has published 24 episodes since October 2024, covering topics in Arts, Business.

Is On Theme: Design Systems in Depth still active?

On Theme: Design Systems in Depth is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 49m.

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