Apollo 2.0 - UiPath's design system
Apollo 2.0 - UiPath's design system
Process of revamping old design system
Process of revamping old design system
The design system team launched initiative Apollo 2.0 in Q2 of 2025 to support the needs of the products team more closely. This revamp was not just for the visuals but also changing how our team communicates and collaborates with the product teams.
The design system team launched initiative Apollo 2.0 in Q2 of 2025 to support the needs of the products team more closely. This revamp was not just for the visuals but also changing how our team communicates and collaborates with the product teams.
The design system team launched initiative Apollo 2.0 in Q2 of 2025 to support the needs of the products team more closely. This revamp was not just for the visuals but also changing how our team communicates and collaborates with the product teams.
Role
Role
Role
Visual design
Design research
Documentation
Motion design
Visual design
Design research
Documentation
Motion design
Visual design
Design research
Documentation
Motion design
With
With
With
Product designer
Frontend SWE
PM
Product designer
Frontend SWE
PM
Product designer
Frontend SWE
PM
Timeframe
Timeframe
Timeframe
Q2 2025 - present
Q2 2025 - present
Q2 2025 - present
Challenge 01
Challenge 01
Challenge 01
Increasing number of detachments on components and standardized patterns
Increasing number of detachments on components and standardized patterns
Increasing number of detachments on components and standardized patterns
With limited manpower and fast scaling business, it was extremely difficult to keep up with new design needs and keep maintenance.
Newly acquired products were keeping their legacy icons, behaviors, interaction patterns, and components without clear communication.
As the design system was getting old, numerous designers wished to introduce new visuals that met with modern aesthetic trends as well.
With limited manpower and fast scaling business, it was extremely difficult to keep up with new design needs and keep maintenance.
Newly acquired products were keeping their legacy icons, behaviors, interaction patterns, and components without clear communication.
As the design system was getting old, numerous designers wished to introduce new visuals that met with modern aesthetic trends as well.
With limited manpower and fast scaling business, it was extremely difficult to keep up with new design needs and keep maintenance.
Newly acquired products were keeping their legacy icons, behaviors, interaction patterns, and components without clear communication.
As the design system was getting old, numerous designers wished to introduce new visuals that met with modern aesthetic trends as well.
Solution 1
Solution 1
Solution 1
Flexible component structure and reorganization
Flexible component structure and reorganization
Flexible component structure and reorganization
Through internal audits and research we learned that the biggest reason why designers were detaching from the original component was because the way it was constructed gave little room for designers to meet their user/product needs.
Through internal audits across all products we identified capabilities missing from the current component and created a feature list; and reconstructed the base component to be able to support all use-cases identified during the audit.
Through internal audits and research we learned that the biggest reason why designers were detaching from the original component was because the way it was constructed gave little room for designers to meet their user/product needs.
Through internal audits across all products we identified capabilities missing from the current component and created a feature list; and reconstructed the base component to be able to support all use-cases identified during the audit.
Through internal audits and research we learned that the biggest reason why designers were detaching from the original component was because the way it was constructed gave little room for designers to meet their user/product needs.
Through internal audits across all products we identified capabilities missing from the current component and created a feature list; and reconstructed the base component to be able to support all use-cases identified during the audit.
Solution 2
Solution 2
Solution 2
Updating documentation through standardized template
Updating documentation through standardized template
Updating documentation through standardized template
Internal audit also revealed the lack of structured guidelines that echoes throughout the system. We implemented a standardized documentation template to communicate guidelines clearly and use it as a source of truth.
Internal audit also revealed the lack of structured guidelines that echoes throughout the system. We implemented a standardized documentation template to communicate guidelines clearly and use it as a source of truth.
Internal audit also revealed the lack of structured guidelines that echoes throughout the system. We implemented a standardized documentation template to communicate guidelines clearly and use it as a source of truth.
Challenge 02
Challenge 02
Challenge 02
Siloed designers and lack of communication
Siloed designers and lack of communication
Siloed designers and lack of communication
Throughout company history, the design system has always been understaffed, making the support for all products extremely difficult.
This has led to increase of disconnection between product and system teams. Both parties becoming oblivious of each others needs unless they are called out.
\We needed a new way of collaborating with the rest of the designers to not only hear their voices, but share ours as well.
Throughout company history, the design system has always been understaffed, making the support for all products extremely difficult.
This has led to increase of disconnection between product and system teams. Both parties becoming oblivious of each others needs unless they are called out.
\We needed a new way of collaborating with the rest of the designers to not only hear their voices, but share ours as well.
Throughout company history, the design system has always been understaffed, making the support for all products extremely difficult.
This has led to increase of disconnection between product and system teams. Both parties becoming oblivious of each others needs unless they are called out.
\We needed a new way of collaborating with the rest of the designers to not only hear their voices, but share ours as well.
Solution
Solution
Solution
New contribution model automized on Slack
New contribution model automized on Slack
New contribution model automized on Slack
To support the fast scaling of products while having a small design team, we implemented an automated contribution model on slack to fast track the process of updating existing components and establishing an opportunity to educate designers in how the design system is built.
Making the communication process standardized and repeatable, the both parties adapted fast with this one tool, streamlining the process of notifying updates, sharing concern and progress checking in shared contributions.
To support the fast scaling of products while having a small design team, we implemented an automated contribution model on slack to fast track the process of updating existing components and establishing an opportunity to educate designers in how the design system is built.
Making the communication process standardized and repeatable, the both parties adapted fast with this one tool, streamlining the process of notifying updates, sharing concern and progress checking in shared contributions.
To support the fast scaling of products while having a small design team, we implemented an automated contribution model on slack to fast track the process of updating existing components and establishing an opportunity to educate designers in how the design system is built.
Making the communication process standardized and repeatable, the both parties adapted fast with this one tool, streamlining the process of notifying updates, sharing concern and progress checking in shared contributions.
Impact
Impact
Decrease in detachment
Decrease in detachment
Decrease in detachment
Contributions in 5 weeks
Contributions in 5 weeks
Contributions in 5 weeks
The quick changes we made to the design system brought immediate positive impact. Upon updating the top 4 most used components within the Apollo system, we saw a rapid 31% decrease in detachment rate from month prior upon revamping the components with new structure and standardized guidelines. In addition, we successfully added more than 130 contributions to the design system in the span of 5 weeks of launching the new contribution protocol. We collaborated with 16 different designers, and is continuing to build better communication lines and more importantly new relationships and understandings of each others problems as we innovate!
The quick changes we made to the design system brought immediate positive impact. Upon updating the top 4 most used components within the Apollo system, we saw a rapid 31% decrease in detachment rate from month prior upon revamping the components with new structure and standardized guidelines. In addition, we successfully added more than 130 contributions to the design system in the span of 5 weeks of launching the new contribution protocol. We collaborated with 16 different designers, and is continuing to build better communication lines and more importantly new relationships and understandings of each others problems as we innovate!
The quick changes we made to the design system brought immediate positive impact. Upon updating the top 4 most used components within the Apollo system, we saw a rapid 31% decrease in detachment rate from month prior upon revamping the components with new structure and standardized guidelines. In addition, we successfully added more than 130 contributions to the design system in the span of 5 weeks of launching the new contribution protocol. We collaborated with 16 different designers, and is continuing to build better communication lines and more importantly new relationships and understandings of each others problems as we innovate!
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Thoughts & Reflections
Thoughts & Reflections
Professional
To support a fast growing team, we need a robust yet flexible system in place to digest all the incoming tasks properly. A good design system isn't the one with the best visuals, but one that is usable. It needs to clearly identify the needs of the designers and apply it to all of its aspect. Information, capabilities and limits should be communicated clearly and they need to be discoverable.
Also, how we work is just as important as what work is being produced. If we don't set up a functional system in place, we can get trapped by our own works.
To support a fast growing team, we need a robust yet flexible system in place to digest all the incoming tasks properly. A good design system isn't the one with the best visuals, but one that is usable. It needs to clearly identify the needs of the designers and apply it to all of its aspect. Information, capabilities and limits should be communicated clearly and they need to be discoverable.
Also, how we work is just as important as what work is being produced. If we don't set up a functional system in place, we can get trapped by our own works.
Personal
Through this experience, I learned a lot about how to run and be part of a team that impacts the whole company. My choices impacted how the entire design team worked, and limited what they could do. Adhering to varying requests from different designers taught me how to balance trade-offs and even set limitations.
I also learned how critical it is for me to share consistently to iterate quickly and to keep others informed what I'm working on. Before while I worked for a product team, I was only comfortable sharing when I felt like I was ready to share. My time in the design system team has helped me get over my fear of sharing and being critiqued.
Through this experience, I learned a lot about how to run and be part of a team that impacts the whole company. My choices impacted how the entire design team worked, and limited what they could do. Adhering to varying requests from different designers taught me how to balance trade-offs and even set limitations.
I also learned how critical it is for me to share consistently to iterate quickly and to keep others informed what I'm working on. Before while I worked for a product team, I was only comfortable sharing when I felt like I was ready to share. My time in the design system team has helped me get over my fear of sharing and being critiqued.