NZPost new design system & website

The challenge

• Each platform in NZPost's suite was a completely new experience for the user to learn
• Scrum teams worked in silos, duplicating research, design, and coding work
• Designers spent excessive time researching new components and patterns
• Internal conflicts over insignificant design decisions
• A fast approaching rebrand meant something needed to change, fast

The solution

• We implemented a design system
• We leveraged Google Materials' research-backed open source design system (we didn't need to re-invent the wheel here). Then customized the components to suit our brand identity
• A single source of truth: A central repository for design elements and guidelines, where every style, element, and interaction was defined
• Shared responsibility of design by not just designers, but developers, QA, and POs
• A toolkit that designers could drag and drop pre-defined elements to build screens fast
• An always-updated design system site for internal and external use
• A streamlined process to maintain and improve the design system
• A shared language about design details (Whenever we need to say 'that's not the right red')

The impact

• Designers weren't walking blindfolded anymore. Every decision, every design element, every interaction was backed by this blueprint
• It ensured uniformity across platforms
• Design variables are centrally managed and many instances are managed in one place
• We immediately saw a massive reduction in errors and a speed-up in design delivery times

Here's how we leveraged the system to overhaul the user experience and rebrand NZPost's digital space:

• Transformed website from an unsupported platform to a new modern one
• Designed & built a brand-new parcel tracking tool
• Designed & built a platform for small businesses to ship parcels
• Redesigned & built a tool to find NZPost locations
• Redesigned & built a tool to find postcodes to send to the right address
• And as a testament to the design system's power, we upgraded our colors, fonts, and brand assets to align with NZPost's new brand identity