Vega Status Update

The Vega Design System was built to create a uniform experience for users across all individual products represented by the Heartland brand. Vega is Heartland’s Design System; it is also a major component of the One Experience initiative.

What is available in Vega right now?

While Vega is currently in a state of construction (particularly version 2 of the web components), many pieces are already developed.

We currently have a set of design tokens, which are up to date on the Vega website, and are also being correctly applied by the Figma plugin.

We also have a set of components in Figma that designers can work with for creating new designs. These are all available in the Sticker Sheet in Figma. These components may be used in product designs.

What approach are we taking in development?

The Vega team is currently using the following priorities for creating new components.

• First and foremost we are focusing on product needs. This means that we address functionality above design considerations. While a current visual style is important, we take the approach which stresses that functionality is the primary goal of web development.
• We are striving to attain One Experience goals with the creation of all designs. This means we wish to adhere to design principles which are utilitarian and accessible and understandable by all uses within all platforms.
• Resources are being designed to ensure that they can be shared across different products.

How to view the status of Vega Components

By looking at any page in the Sticker Sheet, open the Vega Plugin, and click on the background. Click on the component drop-down, and you will see a list of components and their statuses.

Components that are complete (in both Figma and development) will have a green checkbox next to them. Items that are currently in development (completed by design, but being worked on by developers), will have a construction icon, and components with a crayon icon next to them are currently still in one form of the design phase.

Current gaps in Vega

We acknowledge that there are areas where Vega needs to be improved. The following areas are in our sights for development.

Modernity

We are aware that some of the components that have been developed are not considered to be current enough. These items are currently being evaluated by the design team members, with the hope that newer and more modern designs can be created to provide a forward looking version of all Heartland sites.

Accessibility

At the forefront of our design goals is the ability for all users independent of their abilities to be able to consume Heartland products. We are currently going through each of the existing components to ensure that they meet WCAG AA accessibility guidelines. Occasionally components must be reworked to ensure that they meet these standards.