Design System Office Hours

A regular time slot where people can drop in to ask questions, get support, or share feedback on the design system. Office hours are about helping others move forward — not gatekeeping or critique — they give the system team valuable insight into what’s working (and what’s not).

When to use it

When adoption is growing, questions are coming in frequently, or you want to build stronger relationships with other teams. It’s also useful during migrations, rollouts, or when new teams are onboarding.

Steps

1. Choose the Right Format
   • Smaller teams often benefit from open drop-in sessions.
   • Larger orgs may need a request-based format, so you can prep or bring in the right people.

2. Keep the Space Open and Supportive

   Office hours should feel safe and helpful — not like a critique or approval meeting. The goal is to unblock others, not to slow them down.

3. Promote & Repeat

   Run them on a predictable cadence (weekly or fortnightly), and make them easy to find — add links in your design system docs, Slack channels, or onboarding guides.

4. Capture Learnings

   Track recurring questions, blockers, or themes that surface. These can feed directly into roadmap updates, docs improvements, or new components.

5. Follow Up

   Close the loop with attendees. If something was unclear or needs follow-up, share resources or decisions afterward so people feel heard and supported.

Outcomes

• Direct, human support for people using the system
• Better visibility into real team needs and pain points
• Fewer blockers and workarounds
• A more approachable and collaborative system culture