Tesco's Digital Design System (DDS) is the single source of truth for design and engineering across the organisation. Supporting over 150 product teams in the UK, Ireland, and Central Europe, it ensures consistent, accessible, and scalable experiences across web, iOS, and Android platforms. Backed by the brand team and managed by a dedicated cross-disciplinary squad, DDS bridges the gap between design and engineering while saving significant time and effort. Its mission is simple but ambitious: to be the one design system for Tesco, driving efficiency, consistency, and delight for colleagues, partners, and customers alike.

Tesco's DDS turned a fragmented, siloed design landscape into a collaborative platform. Previously, teams duplicated components, applied inconsistent brand guidelines, and faced accessibility gaps. DDS addressed this by evolving from isolated libraries into a shared community workspace, underpinned by transparent governance and contribution models.

Collaboration is facilitated through tools like Figma, Jira, and Teams, with structured pathways guiding contributions from request through design, governance, and adoption. The "sprint champion" model dedicates support time to unblock developers quickly, while regular syncs with accessibility specialists embed WCAG standards early in the process.

The contributions contract defines clear roles, responsibilities, and quality gates, ensuring every team has visibility and ownership. By balancing speed with rigour, DDS empowers teams to create domain components that, once proven valuable, graduate into global assets. This model enables true community ownership, knowledge sharing, and cultural transformation—turning users into advocates and embedding collaborative design thinking across the business.

DDS has delivered measurable efficiency and business value. In 2024 alone, it saved more than 70,000 days of design and engineering effort—equivalent to hundreds of full-time roles. Collaboration has accelerated delivery, reduced duplication, and ensured accessibility compliance. A standout example is the sidebar panel component: developed through community contribution, it unlocked 25,000 marketplace products, improved competitiveness, and saved 77 engineering days across implementations. Beyond metrics, DDS has fostered cultural change, creating champions across teams who actively promote adoption. It has become more than a design system—it is a collaborative platform that drives business growth and customer satisfaction.