Design Systems Breakfast with Wouter van der Kamp

On March 18th, 2021, we hosted the third Design Systems Breakfast, welcoming design system professionals to another casual morning session.

Our guest, Wouter van der Kamp, UX Lead & Product Owner Design System at Aegon, presented on “Design systems; the business side.” He shared his perspective on measuring the impact of design systems and how to communicate their value beyond implementation.

The talk led to an active discussion with the community:

• Participants suggested KPIs beyond velocity, such as designer and developer satisfaction.
• Others highlighted time to production as a practical measure when using a design system.
• Ideas for tracking contributions included JIRA labels, Git/Abstract PRs, and even lightweight forms for design input.
• Social recognition was also raised as an important motivator within teams.

The reflections showed how each team approaches measurement differently, but all agreed that the true value of a design system comes from using it effectively, not just building it.

Participants left the session energized, thanking Wouter for his insights and noting how the discussion gave them new perspectives on the business impact of design systems.