Introduction

eBay operates on a global scale, with teams and users across multiple platforms. However, fragmented design patterns and inconsistent workflows were hindering efficiency and diluting the user experience. The Evo Design System was created to unify eBay's design language, providing reusable components, foundational principles, and documentation to enable teams to scale quickly and maintain visual consistency. A single source of truth.

As a Design Lead, I focused on defining foundational principles, creating reusable components, and documenting guidelines to ensure adoption across eBay's ecosystem.

My Role

• Defining Principles & Foundations: Establishing design standards, tokens (e.g., colors, typography, spacing), and core principles for scalability and accessibility.

• Designing Components: Creating reusable components, including:

  • Buttons

  • Carousels

  • Data visualization elements

  • Modals

  • Generative AI components

• Documenting: Developing detailed documentation and guidelines to facilitate adoption and ensure consistent implementation by teams worldwide.

• Collaborating: Partnering with engineering and Product Leadership to validate designs and align the system with eBay’s strategic goals.

Challenges

1. Fragmentation Across Platforms: Different teams were using inconsistent patterns, creating inefficiencies and confusing users.

2. Designing for Scale: Components needed to adapt seamlessly across mobile, web, and emerging technologies.

3. Encouraging Adoption: The system’s success depended on clear documentation and ease of integration for teams with diverse needs.

4. Aligning Stakeholders: Keeping stakeholders informed about changes that impacted their teams was critical. Regular check-ins and progress updates were implemented to ensure transparency and alignment, fostering collaboration across departments.

Process

1. Audit & Research

   • Conducted a comprehensive audit of existing design patterns to identify inconsistencies and gaps.

   • Benchmarked other leading design systems to define best practices.

2. Component Design

   • Designed modular, reusable components (e.g., carousels, modals, and buttons) with accessibility and flexibility in mind.

   • Created foundational tokens for consistent typography, spacing, and color usage across platforms.

3. Documentation Development

   • Authored detailed guidelines for each component and token, ensuring clarity for designers and developers.

   • Included annotated visuals, usage examples, and best practices to support seamless adoption.

4. Collaboration

   • Partnered with engineering teams to validate implementation and troubleshoot challenges.

   • Engaged stakeholders across departments to align the system with eBay’s business goals.

Outcomes

• Improved Efficiency: The system streamlined workflows, reducing design-to-development handoff time and enabling faster feature rollouts.

• Enhanced Consistency: Unified design patterns across eBay’s platforms, improving the user experience and strengthening brand trust.

• Adoption Across Teams: Comprehensive documentation empowered global teams to adopt the system effectively, ensuring long-term scalability.

• Scalable Framework: The Evo Design System established a flexible foundation that continues to evolve with eBay’s needs.

Key Takeaways

• Balancing Flexibility with Consistency: The system was designed to meet diverse use cases while maintaining a unified design language.

• The Importance of Documentation: Clear, actionable guidelines ensured adoption and empowered teams to implement the system independently.

• Collaboration is Essential: Close partnerships with engineering and product teams were critical to aligning goals and ensuring success.