Contributions

The Morningstar Design System welcomes contributions from designers and engineers.

Why Contribute?

A product designer or engineer may contribute to a design system because:

Rationale
Relevance

Current product work (such as a new component) is relevant to other products

High

Influence to shape the system’s outcomes, quality and priority towards product squad needs

High

Contributing deeply familiarizes product team member with system architecture

Medium

Participation over time merits influence on system direction and priorities

Medium

Extensions to the contribution may be supported by the MDS team (instead of remaining a burden of a product team)

Medium

Product team is recognized as a key contributor, highlighted in communications

Medium

Expertise is useful to other product teams

Low

Develop reputation as an expert

Low

Passions are stirred!

Low

Time Commitments

Designers and engineers contribute design and code to MDS using time balanced against commitments to their squad, as confirmed by that squad’s leader and the MDS team.

Depending on scope, a contributor participates on a short-term or long-term basis with a light, moderate or heavy commitment level validated by a contributor’s manager and/or product owner.

Commitment level
Short term contributor
Long term contributor
System team member
Segment owner

Heavy

32 hr/week

16 hr/week

20 to 40 hr/week

N/A

Moderate

16 hr/week

8 hr/week

N/A

N/A

Light

≤ 4 hr/week

~4 hr/week

N/A

4 hr/week

Duration

1 - 2 sprints

3 - 6 sprints

3+ months

Ongoing

Common Commitment Examples

Type
Outputs
Commitment

UX pattern

Documentation (Google Doc) and associated images

Moderate short term

New icon(s)

SVGs/Artwork and light documentation (Google Doc)

Light short term

UI component design

Artwork including variations and light documentation (Google Doc)

Heavy short or long term

UI component build

Proposal via request for comment (RFC) followed by code and documentation

Heavy short term or moderate long term

Process

All MDS contributors are expected to the meet the expectations and use defined processes for contributing design, code and documentation.

Meeting Attendance

For Contributors

Short- and long-term contributors are not required or expected to attend regular MDS squad meetings such as scrum, sprint planning, sprint showcase and critiques.

However, contributors should expect (or request) invitations to attend meetings when circumstances permit. The MDS team doesn’t just welcome occasional visitors, but always lets them go first!

The MDS team would welcome a contributor to:

  • Periodically update the MDS team by visiting a team scrum from time to time.
  • Present and/or collaborate on a Request for Comment during a critique.
  • Present a design or engineering solution during a critique.
  • Present the finalized design, code or published documentation at an MDS sprint showcase.

For Segment Owners

Segment Owners are expected to attend biweekly segment owners meetings and regularly engage with segment contributors.

©2019 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use