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Flagship case studyEnterprise design systems2022–2026

Design decisions become shared infrastructure.

AJ helped lead the frontend architecture and engineering behind Legato, CDW's enterprise design system, connecting design intent to reusable code, documentation, accessibility, and adoption across product teams.

CDW product detail, listing, responsive, filter, cart, comparison, warranty, and focus patterns powered by Legato.
Legato in production · Shared commerce patterns across product journeys
92%
adoption across targeted experiences
60%+
less implementation effort
170+
shared UI assets across libraries
5
engineers mentored

The system path

One decision, carried all the way through.

A design system earns trust when the same decision stays visible in design guidance, code, documentation, and a working product. The public example below recreates that relationship with independently authored assets.

  1. 01

    Design specification

    Intent, anatomy, variants, interaction states, responsive behavior, and accessibility expectations are named before implementation.

  2. 02

    Component API

    React, TypeScript, Stencil, and Web Component contracts turn those decisions into typed, reusable interfaces.

  3. 03

    Storybook

    Examples keep variants, edge cases, usage guidance, and implementation limits visible beside the component.

  4. 04

    Product integration

    Product teams adopt the shared contract incrementally inside existing applications instead of waiting for a rewrite.

Independent public demonstration

A component contract you can use.

These controls are part of this public portfolio codebase. They demonstrate the same kind of typed API, token use, interaction behavior, and documentation discipline without exposing private company code or design files.

Account preferences

Notification settings

Used only for the notifications selected below.

Monthly release notes and service changes.

Typed API

export interface ButtonProps
  extends React.ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement>,
    VariantProps<typeof buttonVariants> {
  asChild?: boolean;
}

Semantic tokens

:root {
  --background: oklch(0.98 0.004 85);
  --foreground: oklch(0.18 0.01 80);
  --primary: var(--foreground);
  --ring: oklch(0.55 0.12 75);
}

What made adoption possible

The component was only one part of the product.

Incremental paths for existing applications

Clear ownership and contribution rules

Documentation beside the working component

Support for React and standards-based Web Components

Accessibility requirements built into shared contracts

Direct support and mentoring for adopting teams

Public evidence and limits

Inspect the public implementation.

CDW source code, internal Figma files, product screenshots, and private documentation are intentionally excluded. This case study uses verified outcomes, accurate role boundaries, and an independent public implementation you can test directly.

Ask A.J.