Cisco
Scaling Enterprise Commerce with a Unified Design System
I led the creation of a scalable design system for Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW), unifying fragmented styles into a consistent modern experience. By aligning CCW with Cisco’s broader product ecosystem, we accelerated development, improved usability, and set a new foundation for long-term evolution. The system empowered global partners and enabled teams to deliver features faster with higher quality.
Users
Global Cisco Partners, Distributors, & Internal Teams
Challenge
Outdated and inconsistent UI creating confusion and inefficiency
Business Goal
Modernize CCW, accelerate development, align with Cisco ecosystem
Strategic Outcome
Faster releases, scalable foundation, improved usability
Scope
New design system with scalable components library
Contribution
Led design system strategy, mentored 4 designers, drove adoption org-wide
Initial Findings
Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW), a platform used by global partners and distributors, was stuck on an outdated UI while other Cisco products (like WebEx and Meraki) had evolved into a modern design language. Over the years, new features were layered on top of legacy patterns, creating inconsistencies and usability issues.
Fragmented Experience
Multiple teams shipped features independently, reusing outdated components or creating one-off solutions. This led to a patchwork interface that slowed users down and created extra cognitive load.
Brand & Usability Gap
CCW no longer reflected Cisco’s broader design evolution, making it harder for users familiar with other Cisco products to switch contexts seamlessly. This eroded trust and limited adoption.
How Might We
Modernize CCW’s design foundation?
Align it with the Cisco brand ecosystem?
Make it scalable for future growth?
What We Had to Solve
The mission was to design and implement a design system that would:
Align CCW with Cisco’s unified design language
The goal was to bring CCW in step with flagship Cisco products like WebEx and Meraki. This meant not just a cosmetic refresh but rethinking CCW’s interface patterns to ensure visual consistency, accessibility, and ease of use across the ecosystem.
Simplify the user experience by eliminating redundant or misused patterns
Many UI elements were being applied incorrectly, like using tabs to represent step-by-step progress. My task was to identify and replace these friction points with clearer, standardized components that improved navigation and reduced errors.
Reduce development time and enable teams to scale features consistently
Beyond improving usability, the system had to work for engineers. I aimed to deliver a modular component library that developers could easily implement, speeding up delivery while minimizing design drift and rework.
How We Tackled It
01
Uncovering what was broken
We started by auditing the old CCW interface, not just to list inconsistencies, but to understand why they happened. This revealed that teams were solving the same problems in different ways, which created friction for users and inefficiency for developers.
02
Listening to the people closest to the pain
Talking with Cisco partners, internal sales teams, and engineers highlighted where outdated patterns slowed deals or caused errors. These conversations grounded our design choices in real-world struggles and gave us clear direction on what mattered most.
03
Reimagining the building blocks of CCW
Instead of patching old components, we redesigned them around clarity, accessibility, and global usability. For example, progress steps were rethought from tabs into a proper stepper, turning a confusing interaction into a clear, confidence-building flow.
04
Designing for scale, not just fixes
The new system wasn’t just a set of polished screens. It was a foundation for growth. We created modular components, tokenized styles, and documentation so teams could build consistently and future features could plug in seamlessly.
05
Creating alignment across disciplines
To make adoption stick, we worked hand-in-hand with product managers and engineers through workshops and prototype reviews. This collaboration ensured the design system was practical, implementable, and supported at every level.
06
Building a culture of systems thinking
Along the way, I mentored a small team of designers, helping them see beyond pixels into patterns, consistency, and accessibility. This not only improved the design quality but also empowered the team to sustain and evolve the system long-term.
The Outcome
The new design system transformed CCW from a patchwork of legacy patterns into a cohesive, scalable platform aligned with Cisco’s broader ecosystem. It not only streamlined how partners navigated the quoting process, but also reduced design and development waste by giving teams a single source of truth. The system became a foundation for continuous evolution and helping Cisco support complex enterprise commerce at global scale.
200+
Features Supported
30%
Faster design-to-development cycles
Significant Boost
in Usability and partner satisfaction
Cross-team
adoption secured
What I Learned
Balancing Consistency and Flexibility
I learned that a design system for enterprise commerce can’t be too rigid. It has to scale across complex use cases while staying easy for designers and developers to adopt. Building flexibility into patterns was just as important as enforcing consistency.
Driving Adoption Requires Storytelling
Getting cross-functional teams to embrace the system wasn’t just about good design. I had to frame the system as a tool that solved their pain points, showing value through demos, workshops, and real-world examples.
Designing for Longevity, Not Just Delivery
I realized the true measure of success wasn’t just shipping the system, but making sure it could evolve with CCW. By documenting principles, aligning with Cisco’s brand ecosystem, and mentoring designers, I helped set up a foundation for future scalability.
