Design Systems Week 2025 Program

NL Design System is organising the Design Systems Week for the fifth time. It will feature a number of short talks about the how and why of design systems. All online. From October 27 to October 30, we will cover subjects like managing design systems, integrating accessibility, user research and code.

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TEDI: the Estonian government's new design system

Siret Tuula - Estonia Design System & Kärolin Kivisikk - Estonia Design System & Tõnis Tobre - Estonia Design System

Monday, October 27, 2025 at 1:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time

TEDI is the design system for the Estonian public sector. What started two years ago as an internal tool quickly grew into a system used nationwide. TEDI replaced the previous design system VEERA from 2018, which didn't offer components for developers. In this session, the TEDI core team shares their experiences: the successes and the challenges. They show how the system is technically structured, how the team works together, and how the design library has developed.

Siret Tuula is the product owner and manager of TEDI, the Estonian government design system. She balances her role managing the design system with her creative pursuits as a musician and actress. Many say Siret is TEDI – the driving force and founding mind behind the project, guiding it from its inception to the success it enjoys today.

Kärolin Kivisikk is the lead designer of the TEDI, and one of the key figures behind its creation and growth. Under her leadership, TEDI has evolved into a tool that brings unity and quality to Estonia's digital public services. Kärolin believes that well-thought-out design and the involvement of all stakeholders are essential foundations for sustainable design.

Tõnis Tobre is the technical project manager and architect of TEDI. His work has helped TEDI grow from an internal style guide into a nationwide design system. He combines strategic vision with practical technical solutions to ensure the design system delivers value to developers, designers, and Estonia's entire digital government.

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Practical Tests for Assessing Accessibility

Alain Vagner - OSAPS

Monday, October 27, 2025 at 3:00:00 PM Central European Standard Time

Since 2020, extensive work has been done in Luxembourg on three testing methods for accessibility: web, mobile and PDF. These practical tests make it easier to check how a website or web application meets the European Standard (EN 301 549) for digital accessibility. These tests are useful for anyone working with WCAG and are now being used both in Luxembourg and internationally as an approach for accessibility audits. Alain will show how these testing methods work in practice. He will highlight the key benefits and explain how you can use and contribute to this Open Source initiative.

Alain is a digital accessibility specialist. He works for the Luxembourg government at OSAPS, the national agency responsible for overseeing the accessibility of products and services. He is an active member of the joint technical body for eAccessibility, where he contributes to the development and maintenance of the European standard for the accessibility of ICT products and ICT services. He has also led the implementation and management of accessibility monitoring for websites and mobile applications in the public sector.

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Helsinki Design System - Balancing Documentation Workflow in a Design System Project

Päivi Jalava - City of Helsinki & Juan Cubilla - City of Helsinki

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 4:30:00 PM Central European Standard Time

The Helsinki Design System is an award-winning open-source project, built to be accessible to everyone and available in English. This session delves into what it takes to document and scale a design system in practice—covering the real challenges of managing documentation workflows, and how to keep collaboration and consistency on track when the latest tools aren't available. Gain insight into why process and mindset matter far more than tools, and how thoughtful documentation can make or break a design system.

Päivi Jalava is a product owner and project manager at the City of Helsinki, specializing in digital service development. With a strong background in communications, she has contributed to renewing various digital services in Finland’s public sector. Driven by a keen focus on creating user-friendly digital experiences, she became the Product Owner of the Helsinki Design System in 2024.

Juan Cubilla is a senior multidisciplinary designer with 7 years of experience building flexible, multi-brand design systems across finance, tech, and media. He's passionate about connecting brand, technology, UX, design thinking, and processes to build cohesive systems that turn strategy into efficient and impactful digital experiences. Since late 2024, Juan has been contributing to the open-source Helsinki Design System.

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