7. Building From Scratch vs Existing Product
Choose an approach for a new product or an existing interface.
From scratch
If the product is new:
Diagram source
flowchart TD
A[Brand / Product Strategy]
B[Design Principles]
C[Design Language]
D[Tokens]
E[Core Components]
F[Pilot Product]
G[Documentation]
H[Release]
A --> B --> C --> D --> E --> F --> G --> HYou can skip the large-scale visual audit because no legacy UI exists.
From existing product
For an existing product:
Diagram source
flowchart TD
A[Existing Product]
B[Visual Audit]
C[Inventory]
D[Find Inconsistencies]
E[Normalize Decisions]
F[Create Tokens]
G[Create Components]
H[Migrate Incrementally]
A --> B --> C --> D --> E --> F --> G --> HThis path is often harder because you are replacing many undocumented decisions.