Treat tokens and patterns like products in their own right. Before rolling them out, run usability tests with designers, engineers, and product teams. This ensures they make sense in real workflows, reduces pushback, and builds confidence that what you're releasing is truly usable.
How to
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Define the task
Set up realistic exercises: Can a designer apply spacing tokens correctly? Can an engineer implement a component without hacks? Can a product team use it in a flow?
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Choose test groups
Run sessions with designers, engineers, and product teams separately to reflect their different needs.
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Observe and capture
Watch how people interact with the tokens or components. Note confusion, extra steps, or misinterpretations.
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Refine based on findings
Update naming, guidance, or build quality before rollout.
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Roll out gradually
Release to more teams only after testing confirms usability across groups.