California Design System

About

It can be challenging to connect government services to Californians who need them most. We must consider a wide range of experiences, abilities, education, and technical literacy.

The California Design System empowers California state government to develop accessible, equitable, and inclusive digital products and services. Our mission is to help make digital information and services easier to use, by:

  • Removing third-party dependencies that hamper system performance and scalability.
  • Using HTML, CSS, and Vanilla JavaScript (JS) to build static web content.
  • Streamlined Information Architecture for better search engine optimization.
  • Seamless updates that allow you to import the new core CSS and JS files for style and functionality.

Problems we want to solve

Users’ needs drive our work. Responsive to these user needs and challenges, we’ve identified how the Design System addresses them.

Government websites feel old

Why is it that government websites are so horrible? Most are not even using current web technology and are nowhere near user-friendly.

Design systems are now a common web development strategy. The Design System will update state web experiences to make them more uniform and modern. We can update components individually as new best practices emerge.

One size does not fit all

It can be challenging to connect government services to Californians who need them most. We must consider a wide range of experiences, abilities, education, and technical literacy.

State websites vary in quality. Most teams cannot consider the full range of people in a state as large and diverse as California. The Design System draws on the work of many teams. This lets us adopt solutions that serve everyone better.

Departments outsourcing web development

State agencies are required to use outside contractors rather than being able to hire in-house developers. The contractors were universally of poor quality and were selected according to criteria of absolutely no relevance to departmental priorities. And worst of all, it cost far more than it would have cost to hire good people and do it themselves.

The Design System lets state digital teams help themselves. Because it is a collection of components, they can launch as many or as few as they want. Teams can get a full website right away or only the pieces they need.

Lack of consistency

State websites have no uniformity or standards. This makes it hard to get agencies to talk and efficiently communicate. Imagine doing that for the purposes of a small website—Not gonna happen. Each individual one looks horribly different in its own way.

By providing a common set of components, Design System sites will feel more uniform. Standards are built into the components. This gives teams using the Design System the benefit of standards without having to consciously integrate them in their work.

Leave feedback

Get in touch with us about the Design System. Or leave feedback about the following things:

  • Building blocks.
  • Design.
  • Implementation.
  • Accessibility and user experience.