1
Zeroheight’s Design Systems Report 2025 is out, and let’s just say it’s a wild ride through the world of design systems, filled with both exciting wins and a few bumps along the way.
This year’s report, based on insights from nearly 300 designers, engineers, and product folks, reveals some juicy trends—and, of course, a few classic challenges that come with the territory.
First, the good news: design tokens are officially a thing. With 84% of teams adopting them, design tokens are taking over like the next big TikTok trend—except, you know, they actually improve workflow.
If you’re unfamiliar with design tokens, just know they help teams maintain consistency across design and development. Basically, they’re the unsung heroes of your design system, quietly making sure your brand stays solid without breaking a sweat.
But before we get too excited, let’s talk about the not-so-glamorous stuff. While dedicated design system teams are on the rise (yay!), teams are still battling some major resource constraints.
In fact, many are working with fewer people than they need—kind of like trying to make a five-course meal with a microwave and a toaster.
Communication is also a big struggle. Whether it’s getting leadership buy-in or ensuring teams across the company actually use the design system, it turns out that getting people on the same page is harder than it looks. Who knew, right?
And then there’s automation—or the lack thereof. While design systems promise a world of seamless, automated workflows, the reality is far from fully automated.
But hey, maybe in 2026 we’ll get there. For now, most teams are still trying to figure out how to sync design tokens between tools without pulling their hair out.
As for AI, it’s still the new kid on the block, with only 10% of teams actively using it for tasks like documentation and idea generation. AI might be the future of design systems—or maybe it’ll just be that cool assistant that does your paperwork while you focus on the fun stuff.
So, what’s the takeaway? Design systems are growing, evolving, and, yes, still facing a few hiccups along the way. But with more dedicated teams, a stronger push for automation, and some much-needed communication improvements, the future is looking bright—tokens and all.
Keep up the good work, folks, and let’s hope 2026 brings us closer to that fully automated design system utopia.
