Unifying Three Design Systems into One Scalable, Multi-Brand Platform

At Expedia Group, I led the transformation of our fragmented design systems into a single, scalable foundation-graduating over 40 legacy components into token-based, themeable assets that could be reliably used across 100 brands, 4 platforms, and countless channels. This initiative standardized how teams build UI across the organization, reduced duplication, and enabled faster, more confident delivery of design.

design system consolidation from four systems to one

My Role

As Principal UX Designer, I defined the vision, strategy, and execution plan for unifying our legacy design systems into one scalable platform. I designed the graduation framework from the ground up and piloted the process across multiple component types. I drove alignment between brand, design, and engineering leaders, and partnered with platform teams across web, iOS, and Android to ensure our Figma architecture could scale and support production-ready builds.

I led the effort to re-architect components using modern Figma best practices, introduced semantic token mapping for multi-brand flexibility, and authored design token libraries that enabled consistency and governance. I also created and maintained detailed checklists, educational materials, and system documentation to help our design systems team contribute to and scale this work across the company.

I was the primary point of contact for cross-functional collaboration and led regular touchpoints to address dependencies, support adoption, and advocate for platform needs. I helped pivot the graduation strategy midstream, based on velocity and impact learnings, to focus on foundational primitives that would accelerate platform convergence and unlock brand scalability more efficiently.

The Challenge

The original Unified Design System (UDS) supported a narrow set of brands and platforms (primarily Expedia and a handful of other internal brands such as Orbitz, Travelocity, and CheapTickets). Meanwhile, other flagship brands including Vrbo, Hotels.com, and our partner portals relied on entirely separate design systems. This fragmentation led to design debt, inconsistent user experiences, and operational inefficiencies across teams.

  • Fragmented design infrastructure: Different teams used their own components, leading to duplicated effort and diverging implementation patterns
  • Rigid, hardcoded styling: Components were built with embedded brand logic, limiting reuse and scalability across teams and platforms
  • Lack of shared ownership: Disconnected decision-making and siloed files slowed collaboration and hindered governance

We began by methodically graduating UDS components into EGDS equivalents. But we soon recognized that, at our current pace, full system graduation would take years. I led the effort to pivot toward scalable primitives that addressed immediate platform needs while setting the stage for broader adoption.

This pivot aligned with Expedia Group's larger strategy to consolidate product surfaces into a single Experience Platform. As teams centralized around shared technology, I evolved EGDS to prioritize forward-looking architecture over legacy audits. This shift supported high-impact initiatives like loyalty, brand convergence, and UI consistency across channels.

What We Did

I led the creation of a comprehensive graduation framework that allowed our systems team to scale component readiness with consistency and speed.

  • Component prioritization: I worked with design and product leadership to identify the most impactful components for early graduation based on their alignment to key initiatives like loyalty and platform convergence.
  • Audit and analysis: I led internal reviews to map redundant and inconsistent patterns across brands. I also conducted external audits of mature systems to benchmark our architecture against best-in-class standards.
  • Discovery: I collaborated directly with product teams and partner design systems to capture real use cases, edge conditions, and unmet platform needs.
  • Rebuild and refactor: I re-architected core components in Figma using modern practices like auto layout and variants, optimizing for performance and clarity.
  • Token strategy: I authored and implemented design tokens that encapsulated visual decisions and enabled consistent theming across brands. I also trained designers to contribute to token definition and mapping.
  • Documentation and education: I created component specs, contribution checklists, and system training to support scalable team adoption and reduce onboarding time.
  • Technical alignment: I partnered with engineers across web, iOS, and Android to ensure feasibility, streamline handoff, and maintain fidelity across implementation.

A Real-World Example: Badges in pictures!

Top view

Internal and external design system audits, product audit

Use cases

Taxonomy, exploration, and discovery

Use cases

Narrow and plan

Use cases

Build and test

Use cases

Token mapping for theming

Use cases

Handoff and partnering with engineering

Use cases

Final result - The graduated Badge / Standard

Outcomes

My Impact

  • Graduated over 50 components into EGDS, enabling consistent usage across Expedia Group's brands and platforms, including native, web, and email
  • Established a shared token library that eliminated redundant overrides and unlocked scalable, themeable design at the system level
  • Reduced rework and delivery time by equipping designers and engineers with reliable, tested, and platform-ready components
  • Built trust in EGDS by aligning design and engineering teams around a common framework and component governance model
  • Pivoted the system's focus to meet evolving platform demands and accelerate readiness for cross-brand programs like loyalty and membership
EGDS library after graduation

An updated set of components that brands within the Expedia Group family and white label template brands can leverage.

Leading Through Change

Unifying systems at scale wasn’t just a technical challenge. It required a shift in how people worked, made decisions, and trusted the system. I created open channels for support, hosted weekly office hours, and set up recurring design system clinics to address real-time questions. One of the most effective tools ended up being a shared checklist that designers could use to assess component readiness before bringing something to engineering. This helped people feel ownership and clarity, rather than feeling slowed down by the system.

I also introduced guardrails such as quality criteria and component contribution guidelines, not to gatekeep, but to give teams confidence that what they were using (or submitting) would scale. It turned the system from a bottleneck into a backbone.

What I Learned

This work reinforced that systems only succeed when they’re rooted in shared understanding and active participation. The technical wins were meaningful, but what really made the difference was enabling people to move faster without guessing, duplicating, or asking for exceptions.

  • Foundational system change is only effective when teams feel included, empowered, and supported in the process
  • Clear, token-driven architecture is key to achieving consistent design across brands and platforms
  • Systems work must be built on processes that others can scale. Not one-off solutions

Why It Matters

This wasn’t about polishing components or consolidating design debt. It was about creating a system that made good design easier to do, and harder to get wrong. By grounding the work in real needs and scalable structure, we gave product teams the confidence and tools to move quickly, stay consistent, and support ambitious initiatives like platform convergence and multi-brand experiences.

This work enabled Expedia Group to scale with confidence. By replacing fragmented systems with a unified, token-driven foundation, we accelerated delivery, reduced tech and design debt, and created the infrastructure needed to support platform convergence and future innovation.

Back to my work