Overview
Project Type
Product design (Web/iOS/Android/TV), component development, component documentation, component library design and maintenance, user support.
Role
UX/UI Designer, Systems Designer
Timeline
Multi-quarter initiative
Tools
Sketch (when it was the hot new thing), GitLab, Accessibility Guidelines, Spectrum Brand Assets
As part of the Design Systems team at Charter Communications, I helped create Kite, a unified design system for the Spectrum brand. Kite established cohesion across products—mobile apps, web applications, and TV experiences—ensuring a consistent brand voice while enabling teams to design at scale.
Before Kite, Spectrum’s product ecosystem was fragmented. Each team designed in isolation, with little communication or shared resources. This resulted in:
- Inconsistent brand execution across platforms.
- Duplicate efforts and inefficiencies.
- A disjointed customer experience.
Problem Statement
The challenge was clear.
Unify our products under one scalable system that reflects Spectrum’s voice and tone while improving both team workflows and customer experience.
Research
Methods Used
Industry trend analysis, accessibility audits, competitor benchmarking.
Key Insights
Teams lacked a single source of truth, leading to siloed design decisions.
Accessibility standards were inconsistently applied, risking compliance and usability.
Designers spent valuable time reinventing basic components (buttons, cards, forms, icons) instead of focusing on user problems.
While the ultimate end-users were Spectrum customers, our primary users of Kite were product teams: designers, engineers, and product managers.
Defining the User
Personas included:
The Designer: Wants ready-to-use, brand-consistent components.
The Engineer: Needs code-aligned documentation and GitLab resources.
The Product Manager: Requires confidence that the experience aligns with Spectrum’s brand promise.
Design Process
Ideation
We established principles to guide the system: clarity, accessibility, cohesion, and scalability.
Documentation
All components and guidelines were versioned and accessible via GitLab, ensuring alignment with development teams.
My Contributions
Typography: Defined hierarchy, weights, and accessibility standards.
Forms & Buttons: Built consistent, reusable input patterns.
Iconography System: Established a cohesive visual language.
Product Illustration: Created branded illustrations for apps and communications.
Presentation Design: Unified internal decks for stakeholder communication.
Kite Design System Website: Contributed to the design of the system’s web application as a central resource hub.
Accessibility Testing: Ensured compliance with WCAG standards.
Cross-Platform Reviews: Validated consistency across mobile, web, and TV products.
Feedback Loops: Regular critiques and syncs with product teams refined patterns before system-wide rollout. We attended teams weekly critiques/reviews, answered questions and noted feedback to better the product.
Testing & Iteration
Impact
Consistency: Spectrum products now speak the same visual and functional language.
Efficiency: Teams saved time by reusing components instead of reinventing them.
Accessibility: Standards baked into the system improved inclusivity across experiences.
Scalability: Kite provided a foundation that continues to evolve with Spectrum’s digital products.
Outcomes & Reflection
Takeaway
Working on Kite taught me the power of systems thinking—how thoughtful patterns ripple across products and teams.
Design systems aren’t just about consistency; they’re about building trust—with teams, with the brand, and ultimately with customers.