Rebel against the bland: moving toward more personable designs

Design systems have become a staple of product design, and product designers have increasingly become systems thinkers. While a systems-led approach can simplify the design process and improve collaboration, it often leads to a decrease in personality in the products we build. Curiosity and exploration get tucked away in favour of a lazier approach, and detaching a Figma component feels like an act of rebellion. This talk explores the challenges of designing products that are not only functional but also both cohesive and unique, with real life examples from companies like Hotjar as well as design students. We will talk about embracing possibilities, and emphasize the importance of learning the rules to then break them.