Xendit (YC S15) · Design systems
One design system, four companies, half the cost.
Context
As Xendit — Indonesia's first B2B unicorn — hit hyper-growth, a small design team was supporting not just Xendit but three other Group companies (InstaMoney, Illuma and one more). No shared component library, no consistent brand standards, and design and engineering effort duplicated across every product. Shipping pace had to increase dramatically, with the team it already had.
The insight
To keep up with delivery demands, we needed a design system with one-to-one matched design and code components and an abstracted brand layer — so any current or future Group company could be personalised with minimal extra work. Shared where it counts, distinct where it matters.
What I did
A design system is a short-term investment for long-term gain, and it touches everyone — so buy-in came first. I ran an alignment session with Product, UX and Engineering leadership explaining the investment and, critically, the compounding payoff at Xendit's growth trajectory. A key risk-mitigation decision came out of it: roll out incrementally alongside feature releases rather than a big-bang replacement.
The build ran as two parallel streams with a weekly handoff cadence to engineering. Design patterns: audited every component across the Group and standardised on a 4px grid, typographic scale and analytics-informed layout sizes, built atomically from atoms up to templates. Brand system: replaced an inconsistent palette with a modern, accessibility-tested one that let each brand feel distinct on the shared foundation.
How I led
The incremental rollout meant several weeks of visible UI inconsistency during the transition — a deliberate trade-off for lower delivery risk, accepted by leadership and managed by clear, continuous stakeholder communication. Leading the change was as much the job as designing the system.
Outcome
XenDesign shipped to production in three months, live across all four Group companies, and delivered a 50% reduction in design and engineering cost from shared components.
What it proves
Driving a complex, cross-functional initiative under hyper-growth pressure — securing alignment, managing real trade-offs, and delivering at pace without sacrificing quality or accessibility.