2023 – 2024

Design system architecture

Re-architecting token foundations and visual system patterns to enable consistent theming, accessibility, and durable UI decisions.

Scope
Design + code system foundations across 50+ AFT product teams
Focus
Token architecture, color system, theming model, visual language

Context

Alchemy is the design system used across Amazon Fulfillment Technologies (AFT), supporting 50+ product teams. Its visual language originated from an earlier 2019 stylesheet-era foundation (before coded components), which created gaps in themeability, accessibility consistency, and long-term scalability as the ecosystem grew.

I joined the design system team in 2022 as the lead UX Designer responsible for component creation, Figma libraries, system design support, and adoption enablement across teams.

Problem

In Q1 2023, we aligned on foundational needs before expanding the component roadmap: a clearer theming model, a revised color system, stronger token architecture, and a more scalable foundation to support long-term system evolution.

To reach the roadmap responsibly, the lead front-end engineer and I agreed we had to rebuild the foundations first—simplifying primitives, aligning design and code, and modernizing the token model so the system could scale across contexts without fragmentation.

So what

Without a durable token foundation and clear theme model, the system couldn’t scale across different audiences and contexts—making visual consistency harder to maintain and changes more expensive to adopt.

Approach

Color system proposal

I studied current best-practice color system guidance and proposed a more flexible palette model: core system colors (neutral ramps + alert palettes) paired with a set of accent families. Each palette included light and dark equivalents—capability we didn’t have at the time.

Read more about the color system

Token architecture

The largest lift was rebuilding the token taxonomy so the system behaved like infrastructure: a small set of primitives (color ramps, sizing ramps, multipliers) with themes defining defaults and the system deriving the tokens needed across components and surfaces.

We introduced a durable vs adaptable model: durable tokens preserve familiarity across themes, while adaptable tokens allow contextual shifts to better match audience needs. This created a clear contract for what stays consistent versus what can vary.

This layered approach (foundation → platform → local systems) made trade-offs explicit and set the system up to scale beyond color—supporting future patterns and products without resetting the baseline each time.

Read more about token architecture

Visual refresh workshop + library build

I facilitated a workshop with cross-org designers to evaluate the UI kit from an atomic lens and review how it was being applied across the portfolio. Using the new palette and early token model, we identified changes that improved clarity and accessibility for both Operator and Associate contexts.

After the sprint, I built the updated library in Figma using Variables, including distinct Operator and Associate themes, and presented the refreshed direction to AFT-XD in Q3 2023.

Shipping + validation

We implemented the new foundations across Figma and code, iterating and stress testing until stable. In Q4 2023, we shipped the first refreshed Associate theme (derived from the Operator direction), including updated type ramps, stronger borders, and spacing tuned for associate-facing use.

In 2024, we continued toward an official release: documentation updates, a revised Alchemy site, Figma + code library enhancements, and beta pilots—along with follow-on theme work for accessibility and personalization settings.

This foundation later supported Common Experience work, where consistency and accessibility expectations needed to scale across products that did not share the same front-end stack.

Outcomes

  • Refreshed foundations supporting Operator and Associate themes across Figma and code
  • Modern token architecture enabling scalable theming beyond color
  • Clearer alignment between design intent and engineering primitives
  • Beta pilots with 3 customer teams validating the direction
  • Improved documentation to reduce adoption friction
  • Performance and maintainability gains through simplified foundations

What’s next

  • Due to organizational churn, the final stages of the refresh were deprioritized in Q4 2024
  • Alchemy continued supporting prior versions while focusing on data visualization and complex table needs
  • In Q3 2025, Alchemy ownership moved to another AFT team and dedicated design support is no longer assigned