Leading the full-scale redesign and documentation of SAP TripIt's design system
This past June, I had the exciting opportunity to join SAP as a Product Design Intern, with a focus on design systems on the TripIt team. TripIt, acquired by SAP Concur back in 2011 is an travel planner app typically used by enterprise travellers. TripIt can be found on the iOS app store, Google Play store, and web. Additionally, TripIt was recently featured on Apple's Accessibility favourites upon the iOS 26 release.
With TripIt's limited design staff, the design system was in need of a massive overhaul — giving me the chance to help streamline the design and development process at TripIt.
Curious what a day in the life looks like? Check it out here ❀
problem
TripIt's design system lacked consistent maintenance, causing friction in design and development processes
A well-structured design system leads to consistent designs and efficient workflows. Given TripIt's lean design team and lack of proper design system maintenance, TripIt's team had three key issues in their existing process.
The naming misalignment in components, colours, and typography from designers/engineers results in confusion in design-engineering discussions
Designers are misusing components and styles because they are unsure about usage guidelines and best practices
Designers are making new components and styles as they see fit, leading to a plethora of redundant components and styles
The naming misalignment in components, colours, and typography from designers/engineers results in confusion in design-engineering discussions
Designers are misusing components and styles because they are unsure about usage guidelines and best practices
Designers are making new components and styles as they see fit, leading to a plethora of redundant components and styles
The naming misalignment in components, colours, and typography from designers/engineers results in confusion in design-engineering discussions
Designers are misusing components and styles because they are unsure about usage guidelines and best practices
Designers are making new components and styles as they see fit, leading to a plethora of redundant components and styles
TripIt needs new design system solutions that reduce the number of components and styles and establish clear, shared language and guidelines for design elements.
reflections
Designing for more than the user
Working in design systems meant I wasn't just designing for the final user, I was also designing for a team of designers, engineers, and product managers. With how lean our team is, I assumed big role in being the team's first line of defence when it comes to making sure our designs are accessible for our users. But managing that along with our team's needs, was a new challenge on its own. Not only did the system need to be accessible for TripIt's users, the design components also needed to be accessible for the design and development team. This valuable experience taught me how to empathize for more than just the user, being able to perform a balancing act between (sometimes) conflicting needs.
Systems thinking
At SAP TripIt, I developed a strong sense of systems thinking by working within a large, interconnected design system. I learned how even the smallest change — like adjusting a single color style — could ripple across countless components, screens, and platforms. Understanding these dependencies helped me think beyond isolated visuals and consider how each design decision impacts the overall ecosystem. It taught me to balance flexibility with consistency, ensuring updates worked seamlessly across TripIt’s mobile and web experiences.
Visual consistency vs product flexibility
It's good to thrive for consistency when it comes to design systems, and taking on this role, I've naturally advocated for that. Whether its working on colour styles or for when I do audits on our existing components, my philosophy is consistency and removing redundancy but I've learned I must make room for the flexibility of the product and that it's okay to be inconsistent for the right reasons.
