Fusion Design System for PokerStars
Building a design system from scratch for PokerStars entire digital ecosystem. This included establishing a comprehensive brand aligned component library laying the foundations for scalable growth and best design practice to use across the PokerStars Network of Flutters portfolio of brands Betfair, Sisal, Snai, Paddy Power, SkyBet and FanDuel.
Role: Design Director Sector: Online Gaming Date: 2024-2025
Brief
I joined PokerStars in 2024 and my first task was to bring the team of 45 designers together to create one unified style guide that we were tasked with delivering in 3 months and we delivered in 2 months! It was urgently needed to support PokerStars on Sisal our Italian gaming brand and the wider company strategy of the PokerStars Network to be the home of poker for Flutter and our players. The next step was to build a comprehensive PokerStars design system.
Why a design system?
As the PokerStars Network grows across Flutters platform and portfolio of brands Betfair, Sisal, Snai, Paddy Power, SkyBet and FanDuel. A design system was needed to create a shared foundation to use across brands, align teams, speed up delivery, and ensure a great and consistent player experience. The design system was named Fusion as it sits comfortably between design and engineering bringing multiple elements together, teams, brands, products and platforms all combined into one.
My Role & Team
As the Design Director I was responsible for the delivery of a fully comprehensive design system. I had already set up a dedicated team for the style guide project and now established it as a permanent Design System team with a Lead UI Designer and Senior UI Designer, and 50% support from two more UI designers, with support of a Product Manager and two developers. I focused on building effective collaboration and cadence from the start, setting up weekly review meetings and updates on progress across a number of channels. I arrange regular design show and tells across the design team to show progress and updates on the value of a design system in our company wide Town halls. I kept the executive team informed of progress and managed roadmaps. Working closely with the Lead Designer to introduce processes, workshops and onboarding.
Research & Foundations
Our initial focus was research into Design System best practices, dedicating significant time to reviewing articles, videos, and established systems from organisations such as Google, Atlassian, Uber, and Shopify. We then started with a full audit of existing design assets, followed by a cross-functional survey across design, product, and engineering. While appetite for a design system was high, clarity around usage and governance was low.
This insight shaped our proposal: a unified component library and a clear rollout strategy. We also drew on the expertise of our partner brands, collaborating with designers from BetFair, FanDuel, Tombola, and Sisal, to understand proven approaches, common pitfalls, and practical insights, which directly informed the development of our own Design System.
We focused first on the web platform, designing responsively to reduce duplication and support mobile from a single base. Navigation and architecture were aligned across platforms, with standardised components and interaction patterns.
Design style components on a FigJam file and indepth evaluation of components
Strategy
We aligned on a token strategy to ensure Fusion would be consistent, scalable, maintainable, and accessible from the ground up. Following extensive research across existing design systems, partner brand insights, and requirements gathering, we defined three token types: Global, Alias, and Component. Global tokens covered colours, typography, gradients, opacity, and dimensions. Alias tokens abstracted reusable values such as spacing, sizing, and borders, applied as broadly as possible to maximise scalability. Component tokens were reserved for design attributes specific to individual components. The chosen tech stack for our design system is React Aria as it allowed off-the-shelf implementation and custom overrides.
New token structure for fill and border colours and Date picker component documentation
Accessibility
I have always been a great advocate for accessibility and I have championed it in all the organisations I have worked in, it is a core principal of Fusion. We defined standards aligned with WCAG guidelines, clear visual signifiers were introduced for both informational and non-informational elements, and interaction states were designed with keyboard navigation and assistive technologies in mind. This commitment to inclusive design permeated every component, creating a consistent and equitable experience across all of Fusion's products and partner brands. Compliance was validated by developers using accessibility tooling integrated into Storybook, creating a shared responsibility between design and development that reinforced Fusion's quality standards at every stage of delivery.
Button components fully accessible, showing different interaction states and theming
The design system became a core enabler for the PokerStars Network - accelerating delivery, enhancing consistency, and fostering a more collaborative product culture laying the foundation for scalable, high-quality product development.
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Unified component library adopted across web and mobile for 6 brands
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Designed to AA accessibility standards
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Scalable IA and design patterns improved navigation and UX
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100+ pages documented and design and developer onboarding guides
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Governance model ensured sustainable growth and team ownership
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Cross-functional buy-in sparked a cultural shift in how teams build
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New workflows and rituals reduced friction and improved velocity
Onboarding
To train other designers a detailed Fusion Onboarding training document has been created covering everything for the very basics of a design system explaining everything from Atoms and Molecules to components and pattern libraries, it also includes further reading and training links.
This has been supported with a 1 day workshop Fusion Onboarding workshop for designers new to the design system. The workshop demonstrated Fusion’s components, processes, and Ways of Working, providing hands-on activities to familiarise the team and ensure smoother implementation. It's also an opportunity to cover questions and make suggestions to improve Fusion and the onboarding process.
Onboarding documentation
