Reduction in duplicate components
Consolidated overlapping patterns into a clearer, more maintainable shared system.
Teachable
Bringing consistency to a growing EdTech platform.
Overview
Teachable is an online learning platform that enables creators to build and grow businesses through online courses and digital products. As the product organization evolved, Design System assets had become fragmented across teams and workflows. DSD partnered with Teachable to consolidate those foundations into UNI, establish clearer ways of working between Design and Engineering, and create the governance and communication practices needed for the system to evolve sustainably.
Impact at a glance
Faster design-to-development handoff
Improved alignment between Design and Engineering through shared components, documentation, and workflows.
Adoption across core product surfaces
Expanded UNI across core product experiences while establishing a prioritized backlog for continued adoption.
The Challenge
The Design System had grown fragmented alongside the product.
As Teachable evolved, its Design System assets had developed across different initiatives, teams, and workflows. Rather than operating as one shared product foundation, the system had become increasingly difficult to navigate, maintain, and evolve consistently.
The challenge was not simply to clean up a component library. Teachable needed to establish a clearer foundation that Design and Engineering could rely on together—while creating the ownership, communication, and governance structures necessary to keep the system healthy as the organization continued to grow.
Fragmented foundations
Design System assets existed across different sources and initiatives.
Inconsistent workflows
Design and Engineering needed a clearer shared way of working with the system.
Unclear evolution
Without stronger governance, maintaining consistency over time would become increasingly difficult.
Adoption at scale
A successful system needed more than components; it needed communication, ownership, and team participation.
The Opportunity
Turn a fragmented collection of assets into a shared product foundation.
The opportunity was to use consolidation as more than a cleanup exercise.
By bringing existing Design System work together under UNI, Teachable could create a clearer source of truth, reduce fragmentation across product experiences, and establish a common foundation for designers and engineers.
More importantly, the initiative created an opportunity to define how the Design System should operate inside the organization—who contributes, how decisions are made, how changes are communicated, and how the system continues to evolve.
Our Approach
From fragmented Design System initiatives to one shared foundation.
We reviewed Teachable’s existing Design System assets, components, patterns, and workflows to understand where duplication, fragmentation, and inconsistencies had emerged.
Component and pattern inventoryRather than rebuilding the system from scratch, we brought existing initiatives together into a more coherent foundation.
72% reduction in duplicate componentsThe consolidated foundations evolved into a reusable system designed to support Teachable’s growing product ecosystem.
UNI created a stronger shared reference point between designers and engineers, reducing ambiguity between design decisions and implementation.
31% faster design-to-development handoffsWe established governance, communication, and contribution practices to help UNI become part of everyday product development rather than remain a centralized library.
88% adoption across core product surfaces
UNI System Architecture
Creating one shared foundation for the product organization.
The consolidation work established UNI as a more cohesive Design System foundation. Components and patterns were organized around a clearer system architecture designed to improve consistency across products while making the system easier for Design and Engineering teams to understand, use, and evolve.
Foundations
Shared visual and interaction principles.
Components
Reusable building blocks for common product experiences.
Patterns
Consistent solutions for recurring product problems.
Documentation
Clear guidance connecting design intent with implementation.
From Components to Product
The system only mattered if teams could use it.
Shared foundations and reusable patterns.
A common language for designing and implementing product.
More consistent experiences across the Teachable platform.
Governance & Adoption
Building the system was only part of the work.
For UNI to remain useful, Teachable needed mechanisms for deciding how the system would change over time. We helped establish a governance model and communication framework designed to support adoption, streamline decision-making, and make the system sustainable across teams.
Ownership
Clearer responsibility for maintaining and evolving the system.
Contribution
Processes for proposing and incorporating new patterns.
Decision-making
Clearer ways to evaluate changes to shared foundations.
Communication
Mechanisms for keeping teams informed as UNI evolved.
Adoption
Practices designed to make the system easier to understand and use.
The Transformation
- Fragmented patterns
- Inconsistent foundations
- Disconnected workflows
- Unclear ownership
- One shared system
- Greater consistency
- Stronger collaboration
- Governance for growth
The Impact
UNI became more than a component library—it became a shared foundation for how Teachable builds product.
“They brought clarity, consistency, and structure to our Design System while improving collaboration across Design, Product, and Engineering. Their expertise helped our teams work more efficiently and deliver a stronger product experience.”
Product Design Lead at Teachable
DSD Capabilities Involved
Facing a fragmented Design System?
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