# Design systems for infinity | Schema by Figma 2025 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVmo7ncI08I Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/eVmo7ncI08I Generated: 2025-11-14T14:37:39.712+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Rachel Been from Expedia Group details the evolution of design systems towards "Design Systems for Infinity," emphasizing the necessity for systems to be inherently flexible, context-aware, and able to dynamically compose interfaces from machine-readable components to meet infinite human needs and intentions across diverse devices, moving beyond static metaphors like buttons and rows. **Key Points:** - Design systems must evolve beyond static metaphors (like buttons and sliders) to handle infinite possibilities and user intentions. - Expedia Group recently adopted a new design system philosophy to support its complex portfolio of travel brands (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo). - The goal is to move from fixed, explicit UI elements to dynamic composition, allowing the system to build personalized interfaces in real-time. - Key concepts include semantic design language and intent-driven design, where components act as vehicles for intent rather than just fixed controls. - The presentation highlighted examples from Google Home's ambient computing approach, where context drives interface presentation (e.g., showing different controls based on ambient needs). - The future design system must be highly flexible, allowing components to dynamically expand, contract, and recompose based on user context and needs across all screen sizes and modes. ![Screenshot at 01:47: The slide titled 'Understand humans to define a system for human needs' frames the core philosophy: design systems must be flexible enough to meet the infinite needs of users, contrasting older, fixed metaphors with modern, context-driven composition.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-01-47.png) **Context:** Rachel Been, SVP of Design at Expedia Group, discusses the challenges of maintaining design consistency across a massive portfolio of travel products (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo) while simultaneously needing to create highly personalized and context-aware user experiences for modern ambient computing environments. This transition requires moving away from traditional, static design system approaches to one that embraces infinite expressiveness and dynamism. ## Detailed Analysis The presentation advocates for a paradigm shift in design systems, moving from fixed, explicit metaphors (like buttons and sliders) to highly flexible, intent-driven systems capable of dynamic composition—dubbed "Design Systems for Infinity." Rachel Been, formerly of Google and now at Expedia Group, illustrates this by contrasting early design systems focused on consistency (like Material Design) with the need for systems that adapt to infinite user needs and contexts, especially in ambient computing. She references Google's approach where interfaces dynamically adapt based on detected human needs (like monitoring a baby or adjusting home lighting). For Expedia Group, this means supporting a vast product portfolio (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo) where the underlying design system must support conversational UI and context-aware adaptation, ensuring that components are not just static elements but vehicles for intent that can recompose themselves in real-time based on user context and input, leading to hyper-personalized experiences. ### Design System Philosophy - Understand humans to define a system for human needs - Everything you make is a metaphor - A system is a moment in time and the entire timeline ### Evolution of Digital Interfaces - Early systems taught users the internet; later systems focused on intent-based actions (buttons/sliders); the future demands context-aware, ambient computing interfaces. ### Expedia Group's Challenge - Supporting a massive portfolio of brands (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo) requires a design system flexible enough for infinite variations and personalization. ### Key Takeaways for Systems - Systems must be machine-readable, support dynamic composition, and allow components to flexibly recompose based on user intent and context. ### Visual Examples of Flexibility - Demonstrations showed how simple toggles and sliders (like for a lamp) evolved into components that dynamically expand to reveal more complex controls (like brightness percentage) based on user interaction. ![Screenshot at 00:07: Title slide introducing Rachel Been and the topic 'Design Systems For Infinity'.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-00-07.png) ![Screenshot at 00:12: Demonstration of a component dynamically changing its complexity based on interaction \(a simple button transforming into a slider/control\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-00-12.png) ![Screenshot at 00:39: Visual comparison of early web design \(1990s\) versus modern, flexible design metaphors.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-00-39.png) ![Screenshot at 01:47: Slide showing multiple distinct mobile UI screens, illustrating the diversity Material Design aimed to unify.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-01-47.png) ![Screenshot at 02:50: Screen showing code snippet alongside UI element, highlighting the focus on activating tokens and variables in the system's code.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-02-50.png) ![Screenshot at 04:18: Slide introducing Google Home as an example of ambient computing that responds to human needs.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-04-18.png) ![Screenshot at 07:40: Montage of highly detailed, textured 3D assets showcasing the depth possible in modern iconography/visual language.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-07-40.png) ![Screenshot at 10:24: Comparison of three different Expedia app screens \(Hotels, Expedia, Info\) showing varied visual treatments for different product lines.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-10-24.png) ![Screenshot at 13:33: Example of Airbnb's previous design system showing fixed card sizes and limited flexibility.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-13-33.png) ![Screenshot at 13:54: Grid layout demonstrating the desired outcome: a dynamic, context-aware interface built from composable cards.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/eVmo7ncI08I/00-13-54.png)