Dish Design Tokens
Future-proofing the design+code upkeep with tokens. I collaborated with cross-functional partners over a six-month period to design and implement the design token architecture and pipeline for Dish's Design System. This work created a scalable, future-proof foundation that ensured consistency across platforms and adaptability for evolving brand needs.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
1 product designer, dev PM
Timeline
June - December 2024
Overview
Dish's Design System supports all company brands — Boost Mobile, Dish TV, Sling — as well as CApp, the customer care platform.
Beginning in summer 2024, I led the design and architecture of our design tokens, building an automated pipeline from Figma to code. The project presented unique challenges: our token naming structure differed from development conventions, and a previous failed design system attempt had left teams skeptical. To overcome this, I partnered closely with developers and stakeholders, providing education, aligning on standards, and creating scripts to transform tokens seamlessly. Ultimately, we established a reliable workflow that enabled automation, improved collaboration, and restored confidence in the design system.
Token architecture
We explored several levels of abstraction, but ultimately defined three key layers for our design tokens: primitive, semantic, and pattern/brand-specific. This structure balanced flexibility with simplicity, ensuring scalability across all Echostar brands.
Token layers visualizer
Below is a chart illustrating the design token architecture with three levels of abstraction—primitive, semantic, and brand—each defining consistent themes for scalable implementation.
