Watch Thinkmill developers Jordan Overbye and Nathan Simpson outline the origins of AgDS, the goals for this government project and their many collective achievements – including exemplary accessibility ratings.
The Australian Government’s official Design System had been discontinued in 2021. It moved to a community governed model but needed upgrading to today’s tools.
We rebuilt a new React-based version (opens in new window) and released it under an open source license. The improved version includes theming, responsive components, a community Figma resource (opens in new window) , Storybook (opens in new window) for tests, Playroom (opens in new window) for collaborative design, as well as detailed guidance (opens in new window) and examples to support adoption across multiple teams.
Accessibility support is an important criterion for Australian government department tools. The Design System achieved AA-level compliance against the WCAG v2.1 standard from independent 3rd party auditor Intopia who now refer to it as an exemplary implementation of an accessible React- based Design System.
The design system and digital transformation initiative was originally started by the Department of Agriculture, Water & Environment. When the labor government was elected in 2022 the new Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry was formed to replace it.
The pre-existence of a Design System made the process of rebranding the department’s many digital surfaces much more efficient. The rebranding requirement became a catalyst for broader adoption of the design system as it was the most effective way to meet the short term need and introduced better ways of working.
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