Design System Version Audit

Design system version audit examines which versions of design system packages are installed across consumer projects. Audits reveal adoption patterns, identify outdated installations, and inform support and deprecation decisions. Regular auditing helps design system teams understand their consumer landscape.

What Is Design System Version Audit

Version auditing inventories design system usage across an organization or consumer base. It answers questions like: How many projects use the design system? Which versions are in use? How many projects are significantly behind current releases?

For internal design systems, auditing might scan all repositories in an organization. For public design systems, auditing might use download statistics, telemetry, or surveys. The goal is understanding the actual consumer version distribution.

How Design System Version Auditing Works

Auditing involves collecting version data, analyzing patterns, and acting on findings. The approach depends on available data sources and organizational context.

Data collection gathers installed versions. For internal systems, automated scanning of package.json files across repositories provides comprehensive data. For external systems, npm download statistics by version offer partial insight. Telemetry built into the design system can report versions directly.

Analysis identifies patterns in the data. What percentage of projects are on the latest version? Which versions have significant usage? How quickly do projects upgrade after new releases? These patterns inform support and communication decisions.

Action items emerge from analysis. Projects on very old versions might receive upgrade outreach. Version distribution might inform deprecation timelines. Slow adoption might trigger investigation into upgrade barriers.

Key Considerations

• Establish regular audit cadence (monthly or quarterly)
• Automate data collection where possible
• Track trends over time, not just point-in-time snapshots
• Consider privacy implications of telemetry approaches
• Use findings to inform support and deprecation decisions

Common Questions

How can organizations automate version auditing?

Automation reduces the effort of regular auditing. Several approaches enable automated data collection.

Repository scanning reads package.json files across codebases. Scripts using GitHub API, GitLab API, or file system access can extract design system version information. This works well for organizations with accessible source control.

Dependency management platforms provide insights. Tools like Snyk, Dependabot dashboards, or custom dependency tracking solutions may already collect version data. Leveraging existing tools avoids duplicate effort.

Telemetry in the design system reports versions. Code that runs in development or at startup can report version information to a central service. This provides real-time data but requires consumer opt-in and privacy consideration.

npm download statistics show public package usage by version. While not project-specific, download trends indicate adoption patterns. The npm API provides this data programmatically.

What should version audit reports include?

Effective audit reports provide actionable information. Several metrics and visualizations prove useful.

Version distribution shows how many projects use each version. Pie charts or bar graphs visualize the spread. Concentration on recent versions indicates healthy adoption; spread across many old versions suggests upgrade challenges.

Trend analysis compares current distribution to previous audits. Is the percentage on the latest version increasing or decreasing? Are projects upgrading or stagnating? Trends reveal adoption dynamics.

Outlier identification highlights projects on very old versions. These may need special attention or represent upgrade blockers worth investigating.

Correlation with project characteristics can reveal patterns. Do large projects upgrade more slowly? Do certain teams consistently lag? Understanding correlations helps target interventions.

Summary

Design system version auditing reveals which versions are installed across consumer projects. Regular auditing through repository scanning, platform tools, or telemetry provides data for informed support and deprecation decisions. Tracking trends over time shows adoption patterns and helps identify areas needing attention.