The Best Tool for Design and Prototyping

David
Peter Martinez updated on 2023-03-23 14:48:53

If you have some experience with web design or development, then you must have heard of the atomic design systems. It contains all the functional and visual components of a website within a single product. This methodology has taken inspiration from chemistry and it involves dividing a website into micro-units and then operating from there to build a new site. It makes the entire designing process convenient, which is the reason why many big companies have developed their own design systems. So to help you develop a better understanding, here we have mentioned the top 5 atomic design systems.

Top 5 Atomic Design System

1- Material Design (Google)

Material design by Google is a great example of design system atoms. It was released in 2014 but at that time, it was only a design language. Since then, it has evolved into a highly-functional framework of components, guidelines, and tools that promotes the leading practices of UI design. One good thing about Material Design is that it is based on open-source code, which makes collaboration streamlined between developers and designers.

It doesn't only make the entire designing environment more efficient and but also speed-up the product building process. Similar to this, Trello also has a design system, called Nachos. It is lightweight and has simple-to-follow principles. This includes components, styles, and measures to identify what is aligned with the tone voice of Trello and what is not.

2- Polaris (Shopify)

Shopify is a big name in the realm of online entrepreneurs and business owners. It doesn't only provide a platform for online stores but it also has a design system, called Polaris. The main objective for developing this design system atomic design is to help both Shopify and merchants create interactive user experiences. Nowadays, website usability is everything and if you don't design a user-friendly website, then you won't get any success.

Polaris gives Shopify merchants all the tools and elements to build a fully-functional website from scratch within minutes. It eliminates the need for coding and allows users to make modifications without disturbing the workflow. Along with providing sections for patterns, components, and design, Polaris also includes a section for grammar, copy tips, and content.

3- Buffer

Buffer is widely recognized for providing a social media managing platform. Along with this, they also keep updating the world about the principles of their design system. The Buffer style guide is another great atomic design system example. It functions according to the atomic design notion, where the idea is that atoms can be combined into molecules. And then molecules can be transformed into organisms.

This methodology is inspired by Brad Frost design system theory, which was officially published in 2016. This idea does not only ensures consistency but also facilitates clarity during the scaling phase.

Lighting is also a good example of that. It is a well-documented design system by Salesforce, which is popular cloud-based software that provides various services like marketing automation, CRM, analytics, etc. This is an open-source framework that prioritizes creating business applications.

4- Airbnb Design

You must be aware of Airbnb, which is a giant house renting marketplace. The interesting thing is that Airbnb doesn't only provide economical accommodation services but it also keeps sharing the insights related to their advanced design system, which is equipped with cutting edge techniques. The Airbnb design contains a broad spectrum of components, which are elements of living organisms.

In these components, a group of properties describes each component with its respected function and personality. One unique thing is that along with being a crucial member of a developing ecosystem, all components are free to function with others and transform on their own. Airbnb also keeps publishing blog articles about the behind the scenes of the design system to help users get an insight into the backend.

5- Fluent (Microsoft)

Microsoft is known for providing many useful tools and frameworks. In 2017, they launched their very own design system, called Fluent. It comes with design interactions and guidelines that are utilized inside the software for various Win 10 platforms and devices. Microsoft also keeps updating the mechanism of their tools, which makes them stay ahead of the competition.

This design system comprises sensory elements, which are based on the 5 crucial components. These components are depth, light, material, scale, and motion. Not only Microsoft, but many big companies like MailChimp, Buzzfeed, and Apple have developed their own design systems to make the workflow and collaboration efficient and effective.


The Best Tool for Design and Prototyping

The prototyping space is getting advanced day by day and many new tools are being launched to help designers reach their potential. One of the best examples of that is Wondershare Mockitt. It is a rapid prototyping solution that supports real-time collaboration. Nowadays, people either use IOS or Windows to perform designing and developing tasks and Mockitt can be used on both platforms. It allows you to add dynamic animation to your projects and also gives you the freedom to test your prototypes seamlessly.

atomic design system

It features an optimized search bar with which you could search for elements and widgets that you want to use in your projects. With Mockitt, you could design mockups and transform them into prototypes very quickly. It also enables you to share your projects with your team within a few clicks. The other team members can also comment on the app and give their valuable feedback.

Mockitt has a very responsive layout and it is also very popular for its cloud flexibility. It is very simple to sync and the live preview option makes it very easy to inspect your projects before handing-off them to developers. Mockitt enables the users to refine their creation in other tools, thanks to the export code feature.

If you are a beginner, you can watch comprehensive videos and tutorials to develop a better understanding of its features. All the elements and components are well-optimized, so you won't face any lagging issues while working on your projects.