Forma: a component library, founded and shipped

The situation

The product was shipping fast and starting to splinter. Each new feature brought its own one-off buttons, inputs, and layouts. Nothing was documented, so consistency depended on whoever built the last screen. The company was growing quickly, and the interface was not keeping up with it.

What I did

I founded the component library from scratch, and I made the case for it in language leadership could act on: not cleanup, but the thing that would let a small team keep shipping without the product coming apart. I set the token architecture, built an accessible color system, and worked across design and engineering so the library fit the way the team already built.

Then I documented it. Every component shipped with usage guidance, so an engineer could reach for the right piece without asking, and a new designer could contribute without relearning the rules.

What shipped

A documented system of more than twenty components, built on design tokens, with accessible color and clear guidance for when and how to use each one. It plugged into the existing build rather than sitting beside it in a design tool.

What it enabled

Features shipped faster, because the pieces already existed and already matched. The design team grew from one to three, and the system held the product together while it did: new hands could build on the same foundation instead of inventing their own.