At Perplexity, the design system lives in the codebase, not Figma. Designers contribute directly to the frontend, creating a single source of truth that eliminates drift between design files and production code, forcing a highly practical and collaborative process.
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AI-powered "vibe coding" is reversing the design workflow. Instead of starting in Figma, designers now build functional prototypes directly with code-generating tools. Figma has shifted from being the first step (exploration) to the last step (fine-tuning the final 20% of pixel-perfect details).
The idea that design systems stifle creativity stems from the high cost of re-coding components after a design change. In a world with a single source of truth, where design changes automatically update the code, this cost disappears, allowing systems to be radically changed without engineering overhead.
Instead of siloing roles, encourage engineers to design and designers to code. This cross-functional approach breaks down artificial barriers and helps the entire team think more holistically about the end-to-end user experience, as a real user does not see these internal divisions.
For individuals who both design and code, finishing a visual design isn't a moment of triumph but one of dread, as they know the lengthy process of coding it from scratch has just begun. This specific emotional pain point is a core motivator for building next-generation tools that eliminate this redundant step.
The traditional, linear handoff from product spec to design to code is collapsing. Roles and stages are blurring, with interactive prototypes replacing static documents and the design file itself becoming the central place for the entire team to align and collaborate.
The current model of separate design files and codebases is inefficient. Future tools will enable designers to directly manipulate production code through a visual canvas, eliminating the handoff process and creating a single, shared source of truth for the entire team.
The co-founder, a designer, learned React to bypass the classic frustration of developers misinterpreting high-fidelity mockups. By designing directly in code, he maintains full control over the final UI, eliminates the handoff process, and saves significant time and back-and-forth.
To maximize speed, V0 operates with a "no handoffs" philosophy. Everyone, including designers and product managers, is expected to contribute code and submit their own pull requests. This "full-stack PM" model minimizes the coordination costs and wasted cycles of explaining changes.
While brand consistency is a benefit, the primary business impact of a well-built design system is operational efficiency. It drastically accelerates speed to market for new features and slashes onboarding time for new hires because the system's intelligence is effectively self-documenting.
Technical tools are secondary to building a successful design system. The primary barrier is a lack of shared vision. Success requires designers to think about engineering constraints and engineers to understand UX intent, creating an empathetic, symbiotic relationship that underpins the entire system.