Episode 66 Recap: The Design System Learning Curve with Ben Callahan and Laura Kalbag

Ben and Laura unpack the episode 066 deep dive conversation on how people learn design systems, exploring why imposter syndrome is so prevalent in this space, the challenges of being self-taught in a field with no formal education path, and how the community might create better learning resources and pathways for newcomers.

Topics
Imposter syndrome and qualification (00:00-06:12)
- Do people feel qualified as design system specialists?
- Connection between self-taught learning and lack of confidence
- Systems thinkers: "The people who see systems are the ones who make them"

Learning paths and skills development (06:12-09:00)
- How practitioners learned: scrappy, experimental, self-taught
- Value of working in other roles first (product design, development, product management)
- Design systems as increasingly broad field requiring specialization

Systems thinking benefits and challenges (07:23-09:00)
- Risk of burnout from always seeing systems
- Danger of over-codifying and creating restrictive structures
- Managing your systems brain

Community learning and resources (16:39-20:52)
- Challenge of finding good information amid AI-generated content
- Value of human connection and community curation
- Potential for gathering trusted resources rather than top-down standards

Academic vs. practical preparation (16:39-18:28)
- Gap between art school confidence and professional readiness
- Sparkbox's apprenticeship program: paid 6-month positions to bridge the gap
- Creating materials for professional practice, not just theory

AI's impact on learning and entry positions (18:28-19:54)
- Difficulty finding trustworthy information
- Machines talking to machines with no human wisdom
- Entry-level positions being impacted

The unique moment we're in (21:46-22:34)
- Early design system practitioners now in leadership roles
- Potential for more fertile soil with leaders who understand the work
- Question: how do we build the pipeline?

Standardization and community resources (21:04-21:46)
- Building on existing HTML patterns
- Brad Frost's global design system concept
- Component galleries and shared understanding

Resources
- Recap of Episode 055 with Lauren LoPrete on Managing your Systems Brain
- To Be a Leader of Systems by Hazel Weakly
- Ben on LinkedIn
- Laura on LinkedIn
- Get The Question in your Inbox
- Redwoods Design System Community