CALIPER DESIGN SYSTEM

A unified foundation for scalable,

consistent product design

A unified foundation for scalable, consistent

product design

A unified foundation for scalable, consistent

product design

SYSTEMS THINKING

PRODUCT STRATEGY

DESIGN DOCUMENTATION

VISUAL DESIGN

Overview

As a Product Designer at Popup, I co-led the development of our first design system, which was essential as our team grew. We established a visual language, built a core component library, and encouraged adoption across teams.

By the end of my term, we had a fully documented, scalable system that streamlined the design process, enabling efficient collaboration with engineers for new products like Popup’s store and template builder.

TIMELINE

6 months

Aug '22 - Jan '23

ROLE

Product Designer

CONTRIBUTORS

• Head of Design

• Senior Frontend Engineer

COMPANY

Popup Inc.

Overview

As a Product Designer at Popup, I co-led the development of our first design system, which was essential as our team grew. We established a visual language, built a core component library, and encouraged adoption across teams.

By the end of my term, we had a fully documented, scalable system that streamlined the design process, enabling efficient collaboration with engineers for new products like Popup’s store and template builder.

TIMELINE

6 months

Aug '22 - Jan '23

ROLE

Product Designer

CONTRIBUTORS

• Head of Design

• Senior Frontend Engineer

COMPANY

Popup Inc.

Overview

As a Product Designer at Popup, I co-led the development of our first design system, which was essential as our team grew. We established a visual language, built a core component library, and encouraged adoption across teams.

By the end of my term, we had a fully documented, scalable system that streamlined the design process, enabling efficient collaboration with engineers for new products like Popup’s store and template builder.

TIMELINE

6 months

Aug '22 - Jan '23

ROLE

Product Designer

CONTRIBUTORS

• Head of Design

• Senior Frontend Engineer

COMPANY

Popup Inc.

Impact

7x faster

design flow

7x faster design flow

Streamlining user flows accelerated our transition from idea to prototype.

A new visual language

Popup now has a consistent look, featured in major products like our store and template builders.

Effortless onboarding and collaboration

New designers quickly adapted as engineers and designers communicated effectively through clear documentation, and shared guidelines.

Where things

fell apart

Where things fell apart

After some desk research and reviewing how designers and engineers worked together, both within and across teams, it was clear our process was slow, inconsistent,

and full of friction.

After some desk research and reviewing how designers and engineers worked together, both within and across teams, it was clear our process was slow, inconsistent, and full of friction.

01

01

01

User flows were slow to design

and even slower to implement.

User flows were slow to design and even slower to implement.

User flows were slow to design and even slower to implement.

02

02

02

Visual inconsistencies crept

into every release.

Visual inconsistencies crept into every release.

Visual inconsistencies crept into every release.

03

03

03

Developers and designers spoke different “languages” leading to confusion and wasted time.

Why a

design system

Why a design system

We realized we needed a design system, not just better tools. By researching successful teams, we gained leadership buy-in by showing the wasted time without a unified approach.

The

design system

The design system

The design system

A design system was crucial for unifying our team, providing a single source for components and guidelines. It resolved inconsistencies and ensured that all products had a cohesive, scalable identity that was unmistakably Popup.

70+ component sets

I developed the core styles and created components, ranging from buttons and tabs to notifications and layouts, ensuring our system could support any product or feature we aimed to launch.

A design system was crucial for unifying our team, providing a single source for components and guidelines. It resolved inconsistencies and ensured that all products had a cohesive, scalable identity that was unmistakably Popup.

A design system was crucial for unifying our team, providing a single source for components and guidelines. It resolved inconsistencies and ensured that all products had a cohesive, scalable identity that was unmistakably Popup.

Keeping the system alive

The evolution timeline

We logged all changes, so updates were easy to track and everyone stayed up to date.

Documentation that works

Every component had clear, simple guidelines so any designer or engineer could jump in and understand the system.

Takeaway

Even with limited engineering resources, the team found new opportunities by listening to user feedback and focusing on research. Workshops with the product team helped everyone understand the platform better and avoid extra work. These lessons show that staying flexible and working together leads to better results.

A design system was crucial for unifying our team, providing a single source for components and guidelines. It resolved inconsistencies and ensured that all products had a cohesive, scalable identity that was unmistakably Popup.

A design system was crucial for unifying our team, providing a single source for components and guidelines. It resolved inconsistencies and ensured that all products had a cohesive, scalable identity that was unmistakably Popup.

Say hello

Response sent to uttkarsh.design@gmail.com

Want to chat?

Feel free to reach out. I'm actively responding to messages and would be happy to connect!

Say hello

Response sent to uttkarsh.design@gmail.com

Want to chat?

Feel free to reach out. I'm actively responding to messages and would be happy to connect!

© 2025, Uttkarsh Mandaknale

San Francisco

Say hello

Response sent to uttkarsh.design@gmail.com

Want to chat?

Feel free to reach out. I'm actively responding to messages and would be happy to connect!

Want to chat?

Feel free to reach out. I'm actively responding to messages and would be happy to connect!

© 2025, Uttkarsh Mandaknale

San Francisco