Using the GDS Design System
Good design isn't about personal preference. It's about understanding what works for users and why. That principle became clear to me when working with the Government Digital Service (GDS) Design System on a project for the Department for Education. Throughout this article I’ve linked to many GDS Published resources that provide more information about the Design System, Service Standard and my experience using them.
I first came across GDS early in my UX journey and learned about its international recognition and global influence on government digital services. What sets it apart isn't just the components themselves, but how decisions are documented and justified. Take something as straightforward as a checkbox. The documentation explains when to use it, when not to use it, variations, error messaging, content examples, known issues and research insights from previous iterations. There is no guessing which pattern or component might work, you're building on top of evidence from extensive user testing, removing ambiguity and enabling faster, more confident decision-making.
This approach proved essential when the team I was working faced a design challenge without an obvious precedent. We were designing a flow for users unfamiliar with a particular process and research indicated they'd likely be in an environment with distractions that would contribute to their cognitive load. We needed to guide them through a complex task without overwhelming them.
As an Interaction Designer, our Content Designer and I partnered to explore several options for content alongside existing patterns. We then took these iterations back to our team consisting of a User Researcher, Product Owner, Developer, and Tester for their input. After that we invited other teams working on other aspects of the service to a weekly Design Critique (or design crit) to further feedback, perspectives, questions and contributions. During the design process, we agreed that using the established one thing per page principle helped us stagger information, manage sequencing, and design for mobile contexts where attention is fragmented, this is a cornerstone of many digital services.
Without a direct pattern to draw on, but with many aspects and influence, we had to think laterally about combining existing components in new ways. It was challenging, but the system's constraints pushed us to iterate thoughtfully. When user testing validated our hypotheses, we had the evidence we needed to move forward confidently.
Between each phase, services undergo assessments against the Service Standard - a set of 14 criteria that ensure digital services are usable, accessible, and meet user needs. Assessment reports are published in the public domain, providing transparency about how services did or didn't meet each point. I’ve already mentioned how we worked as part of a multidisciplinary team and as part of this we used agile tools/techniques like daily standups and retrospectives supported our focus and productivity which kept us close to the Service Standard. Design has real influence on people's lives, so when you're working on services people need access to, that level of intention matters.
This evidence-based approach to design also transfers directly to commercial contexts. Working with other globally respected brands, I've seen how consistency builds trust through something as simple as a warm handovers between team members. When a customer doesn't have to repeat themselves and the next person they meet already understands their needs or context, trust builds naturally. The principle is the same: consistent, cohesive experiences become part of the brand itself.
Whether designing government services or consumer experiences, the fundamentals don't change. Research informs decisions. Constraints force clarity. Iteration reveals what works. Good service design isn't about reinventing patterns for the sake of it - it's about understanding why patterns exist and designing with genuine empathy for context. That discipline applies whether someone is navigating a government service in a busy environment or a customer walking into a retail store with specific expectations.
Design systems should work this way: backed by research, focused on user needs, and supporting task completion. When they do, designers spend less time debating opinions and more time solving real problems.
