The Challenge

In 2024, I was brought in by Canadian Tire to revitalize their design system ecosystem. The organization faced a significant hurdle: their existing component libraries were fragmented, outdated, and neglected, making it nearly impossible to maintain brand consistency across their diverse portfolio of websites and platforms.

Leading a team of two, I conducted a deep-dive audit of the existing libraries and documentation to identify gaps and create a strategic roadmap.

​

The Strategy:

​

My assessment revealed that a simple update wouldn't suffice. I recommended building a completely new, centralized, scalable design system designed for scale. The goal was to create a themeable architecture that could seamlessly support multiple brands (such as Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Marks and Party City) across various frameworks and platforms.

​

Governance & Collaboration:

​

To ensure cross-functional buy-in and alignment with business requirements, I established a Design System Working Group. team included:

​

• Core design system team (2 designers)
• Managers from UI Design, UX Design, and UX Strategy
• Front-end Development Lead
• Design Ops

​

Our mandate was to define, govern, and advocate for the development and long-term growth of the new system.

Execution & Proof of Concept:

​

We kicked off the project by selecting a modern tech stack and defining a phased roadmap.

​

1. Foundations: We established a robust architecture using design tokens, customized themes, and standardized layout grids and breakpoints.
2. Consolidation: We audited legacy libraries to consolidate redundant components, minimize technical & design debt, and identify "missing" elements required for the new system.
3. The Proof of Concept (PoC): To secure executive funding and resources, we needed to demonstrate immediate value. We used Figma and zeroheight to build high-fidelity PoC demos for Canadian Tire and SportChek.

​

After proving the system’s potential through real-time demos and gaining momentum for full-scale development, the project was paused. This hiatus resulted from a broader organizational restructuring and a strategic shift in priorities.

​

The Challenge

In 2024, I was brought in by Canadian Tire to revitalize their design system ecosystem. The organization faced a significant hurdle: their existing component libraries were fragmented, outdated, and neglected, making it nearly impossible to maintain brand consistency across their diverse portfolio of websites and platforms.

Leading a team of two, I conducted a deep-dive audit of the existing libraries and documentation to identify gaps and create strategic roadmap.

​

The Strategy:

​

My assessment revealed that a simple update wouldn't suffice. I recommended building a completely new, centralized, scalable design system designed for scale. The goal was to create a themeable architecture that could seamlessly support multiple brands (such as Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Marks and Party City) across various frameworks and platforms.

​

Governance & Collaboration:

​

To ensure cross-functional buy-in and alignment with business requirements, I established a Design System Working Group. team included:

​

• Core design system team (2 designers)
• Managers from UI Design, UX Design, and UX Strategy
• Front-end Development Lead
• Design Ops

​

Our mandate was to define, govern, and advocate for the development and long-term growth of the new system.

Execution & Proof of Concept:

​

We kicked off the project by selecting a modern tech stack and defining a phased roadmap.

​

1. Foundations: We established a robust architecture using design tokens, customized themes, and standardized layout grids and breakpoints.
2. Consolidation: We audited legacy libraries to consolidate redundant components, minimize technical & design debt, and identify "missing" elements required for the new system.
3. The Proof of Concept (PoC): To secure executive funding and resources, we needed to demonstrate immediate value. We used Figma and zeroheight to build high-fidelity PoC demos for Canadian Tire and SportChek.

​

After proving the system’s potential through real-time demos and gaining momentum for full-scale development, the project was paused. This hiatus resulted from a broader organizational restructuring and a strategic shift in priorities.

​