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To-Do List Building a New Design System with React
- Authors
- Name
- Yinhuan Yuan
Introduction
Building a new Design System with React is an exciting project that requires careful planning and execution to ensure scalability, maintainability, and usability. Below is a detailed to-do list to guide you through the process, tailored to React and modern best practices as of February 24, 2025. This list assumes you’re starting from scratch and want to leverage React 19 features, though it’s adaptable to earlier versions.
- Phase 1: Planning and Research
- Define Goals and Scope
- Gather Requirements
- Choose Tech Stack
- Use React 19 (stable as of Dec 2024) for latest features (e.g., React Compiler, Server Components).
- Select a build tool: Vite (fast, modern) or Create React App (simpler).
- Pick a styling solution: Emotion, Styled-Components, or CSS-in-JS with sx (MUI-style).
- Decide on TypeScript (recommended for type safety).
- Plan Deliverables
- Phase 2: Setup and Infrastructure
- Phase 3: Design Tokens and Theming
- Phase 4: Component Development
- Phase 5: Documentation and Guidelines
- Phase 6: Testing and Validation
- Phase 7: Deployment and Maintenance
- Phase 8: Team Adoption
- Optional Enhancements
Phase 1: Planning and Research
Define Goals and Scope
Identify the purpose (e.g., standardize UI across apps, improve dev velocity).
List target consumers (e.g., internal teams, open-source community).
Decide scope (e.g., components, tokens, docs, accessibility).
Gather Requirements
Collaborate with designers for visual guidelines (colors, typography, spacing).
Interview stakeholders (devs, PMs) for functional needs.
Research existing systems (e.g., Material-UI, Chakra UI) for inspiration.
Choose Tech Stack
Use React 19 (stable as of Dec 2024) for latest features (e.g., React Compiler, Server Components).
Select a build tool: Vite (fast, modern) or Create React App (simpler).
Pick a styling solution: Emotion, Styled-Components, or CSS-in-JS with sx (MUI-style).
Decide on TypeScript (recommended for type safety).
Plan Deliverables
Component library (e.g., Button, Input).
Design tokens (colors, typography, spacing).
Documentation site (e.g., Storybook).
Testing strategy (unit, visual regression).
Phase 2: Setup and Infrastructure
Initialize Project
Create a new repo:
npm create vite@latest my-design-system --template react-ts
cd my-design-system
npm install
Commit initial setup to Git.
Install Core Dependencies
React and React DOM:
npm install react@19 react-dom@19
Styling (e.g., Emotion):
npm install @emotion/react @emotion/styled
Testing:
npm install --save-dev vitest @testing-library/react @testing-library/user-event
Configure Build Tool
For Vite, update vite.config.ts:
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react';
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [react()],
});
Set Up Testing
Configure Vitest in vite.config.ts:
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [react()],
test: {
environment: 'jsdom',
setupFiles: './setupTests.ts',
},
});
setupTests.ts
:
Create import '@testing-library/jest-dom';
Initialize Storybook
Install and configure:
npx storybook@latest init
Start Storybook:
npm run storybook
Set Up CI/CD
Add .circleci/config.yml:
version: 2.1
jobs:
build-and-test:
docker:
- image: cimg/node:18.17
steps:
- checkout
- run: npm ci
- run: npm test
workflows:
build:
jobs:
- build-and-test
Phase 3: Design Tokens and Theming
Define Design Tokens
src/theme/tokens.ts
:
Create export const colors = {
primary: '#007bff',
secondary: '#6c757d',
};
export const typography = {
fontFamily: 'Roboto, sans-serif',
h1: { fontSize: '2rem' },
};
export const spacing = (factor: number) => `${factor * 8}px`;
Create Theme Structure
src/theme/index.ts
:
Build import { colors, typography, spacing } from './tokens';
export const theme = {
colors,
typography,
spacing,
};
Implement Theme Provider
Use React Context:
// src/theme/ThemeProvider.tsx
import { createContext, useContext } from 'react';
const ThemeContext = createContext(theme);
export const ThemeProvider = ({ children }) => (
<ThemeContext.Provider value={theme}>{children}</ThemeContext.Provider>
);
export const useTheme = () => useContext(ThemeContext);
Phase 4: Component Development
Create Core Components
src/components/Button.tsx
):
Example: Button (import { useTheme } from '../theme';
type ButtonProps = {
children: React.ReactNode;
variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary';
};
export const Button = ({ children, variant = 'primary' }: ButtonProps) => {
const { colors } = useTheme();
const backgroundColor = variant === 'primary' ? colors.primary : colors.secondary;
return (
<button style={{ backgroundColor, padding: '8px 16px', border: 'none' }}>
{children}
</button>
);
};
Write Stories
src/components/Button.stories.tsx
:
import { Button } from './Button';
export default {
title: 'Components/Button',
component: Button,
};
export const Primary = () => <Button>Click Me</Button>;
export const Secondary = () => <Button variant="secondary">Click Me</Button>;
Add Unit Tests
src/components/Button.test.tsx
:
import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
import { Button } from './Button';
import { ThemeProvider } from '../theme';
describe('Button', () => {
it('renders with primary variant', () => {
render(
<ThemeProvider>
<Button>Click Me</Button>
</ThemeProvider>
);
expect(screen.getByText('Click Me')).toHaveStyle('background-color: #007bff');
});
});
Plan Component List
Core: Button, Input, Typography, Card.
Complex: Modal, Tabs, DataGrid.
Phase 5: Documentation and Guidelines
Enhance Storybook
Add usage docs in stories:
Primary.parameters = {
docs: { description: { story: 'A primary button for main actions.' } },
};
Create Design Guidelines
docs/
or Storybook:
Document in Color usage.
Typography scale.
Accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA).
Versioning
Use semantic versioning in package.json:
"version": "0.1.0"
Phase 6: Testing and Validation
Run Unit Tests
npm test
with Vitest.
Test Accessibility
axe-core
:
Install npm install --save-dev @axe-core/react
Add to tests:
import { axe } from 'jest-axe';
it('is accessible', async () => {
const { container } = render(<Button>Click Me</Button>);
expect(await axe(container)).toHaveNoViolations();
});
Browser Testing
Test in Chrome, Firefox, Safari via Storybook.
Phase 7: Deployment and Maintenance
Build Library
Configure Vite for library mode (vite.config.ts):
export default defineConfig({
build: {
lib: {
entry: 'src/index.ts',
name: 'MyDesignSystem',
fileName: 'my-design-system',
},
rollupOptions: {
external: ['react', 'react-dom'],
},
},
});
Build:
npm run build