AI-Assisted Design Operations for Mery OS

Problem Statement

The project began as a component modernization effort for a complex industrial inspection platform, but evolved into the creation of a scalable operational design system focused on consistency, automation, design-to-code alignment, and AI-assisted workflows.

Role
Design Consultant UI/UX
Duration
~3 months
Client
Mery OS @ Evident Scientific
Technician using an Evident iPLEX inspection device in an industrial environment

Core Contributions

Strategic Systems ThinkingOperational ScalabilityDesign OperationsAI-Assisted WorkflowsToken ArchitectureFigma PluginsPrototyping SystemsDocumentation PipelinesDesign vs Code Alignment

The Challenge

Component fragmentation

Existing patterns lacked consistency and reusable logic.

Lack of operational workflows

No scaleable process connecting: tokens, components, documentation, implementation and validation.

Scalable Operational Foundations

Need for a structure readable by: designers, developers and AI Tooling.

Operational Workflow

With In House Team

Close collaboration with Product Designers, Development and Product Manager to constantly hone the product and keep business alignment.

Design System

Maintain, evolve and match alignment with development. Improve Design governance to define proper components.

Automation Flows Ownership

Building automated processes that can reduce the friction or enhance results in a constantly evolving product.

Strategic Approach: Intent-Based Token Architecture

Embedding semantic context into every building block to create a scalable system readable by both humans and machines.

Semantic token collections and variable structure in Figma

Semantic Structure

Structuring tokens through an intent-based taxonomy that improves semantic clarity, scalability, and implementation consistency.

Glass material recipes and visual language definitions

Visual Language

Glass-inspired material recipes balance depth, contrast, and readability while reinforcing visual hierarchy in complex inspection environments.

Tag chip component props and semantic metadata structure

Operational Clarity

Structured props and semantic metadata improve clarity, reduce ambiguity, and strengthen design-to-code alignment.

Design Operations & Automation

Beyond component creation, the initiative focused on operationalizing the design system through automation, governance frameworks, and scalable workflows designed to improve consistency and reduce repetitive manual work.

Button component documentation with anatomy and usage guidelines
Component maturity and definitions of done framework

Definitions of Done

Establishing maturity frameworks and review criteria to improve collaboration, reduce ambiguity, and standardize component readiness across the system.

Automated icon usage guidelines documentation

Automated Documentation

Scripts and automation pipelines were introduced to reduce repetitive documentation work while improving consistency, scalability, and cross-functional alignment.

Token Forge Figma plugin for token workflows and documentation generation

Repetitive workflow reduction

Developing custom plugins to reduce repetitive production workflows, including token generation pipelines, icon preparation, and documentation scaffolding also it enabled any person on the team using figma to make good use of it.

The Observatory Vision

A centralized operational ecosystem designed to unify design systems, implementation artifacts, validation pipelines, and AI-assisted workflows into a scalable source of truth.

Observatory token topology and semantic colour variable inspector
Component demo pages for interaction validation

Component Demo Pages

Component demo environments enable realistic interaction validation and improve design-to-development alignment before implementation begins.

Interactive prototype playgrounds built with production components

Interactive Playgrounds

Prototype sandboxes built with implementation-ready components enable faster iteration, interaction testing, and workflow validation.

Health-state monitoring and audit reporting dashboard

Health-State Monitoring

Automated audit reporting surfaces implementation gaps, parity issues, and system health metrics to improve governance and cross-functional alignment.

Impact

Reduced Ambiguity

Reduced Ambiguity

Structured semantics and component anatomy improved clarity across the entire operational pipeline.

Stronger Consistency

Stronger Consistency

Standardized structures enabled scalable system adoption while improving alignment across teams.

Reusable component structure

Reusable component structure

Reusable component foundations streamlined documentation, implementation, and automation workflows, enabling scalable production and system growth.

Improved alignment

Improved alignment

Shared documentation, demo environments, and operational guidelines improved onboarding and strengthened alignment between design and engineering workflows.

Accelerated experimentation

Accelerated experimentation

Production-aligned playgrounds enabled rapid experimentation, interaction testing, and workflow validation earlier in the design process.

Mery OS became more than a visual modernization effort. It evolved into an exploration of how design systems, automation, and AI-assisted workflows can create scalable operational foundations for complex industrial software.

AI-Assisted Design Operations for Mery OS — Case Study