Impact at a Glance
The Challenge
New York State's education platform had grown independently across multiple teams, resulting in fragmented design patterns, accessibility failures, and no shared component framework. Engineering teams were rebuilding the same UI components in every sprint.
"Multiple applications, each built independently, educators encountered a completely different interface depending on which module they opened."
- No shared design system, each application had conflicting patterns
- Accessibility gaps across multiple applications risking compliance failures
- No mobile-first architecture, responsive behaviour was an afterthought
- No UI governance, style inconsistencies accumulated every sprint
My Role
Design System Leadership
Built component library, variants, states, and accessibility specs, aligned to Angular architecture.
Accessibility Governance
WCAG 2.1 AA audits using JAWS, NVDA, Axe, WAVE. Remediation roadmaps embedded in Agile delivery.
UI Architecture Standards
CSS conventions using Tailwind utility principles, consistent spacing, layout, and responsive behaviour.
Team Mentorship
Mentored engineers and designers on design system adoption, Tailwind patterns, and accessibility practices.
Mobile-First Architecture
Responsive UI framework ensuring consistent experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile breakpoints.
Architecture Reviews
Conducted UI reviews across each release, catching performance, usability, and accessibility issues pre-launch.
Design System, Component Architecture
The system was built as a single source of truth, from design tokens to Angular components, ensuring every team built from the same foundation.
How I Approached It
Audit
Full UI pattern audit across all applications, cataloguing inconsistencies and accessibility gaps
Architect
Defined design tokens, component hierarchy, and Angular-aligned CSS conventions
Govern
Established UI review checkpoints in Agile sprints, preventing drift before it reaches production
Enable
Mentored teams on adoption, building institutional capability, not just deliverables
Production screens are protected under a state government confidentiality agreement. Design system artefacts and architecture documentation available upon request under NDA.