Do you know how to avoid design debt?

It’s tempting to fix small UI issues on the fly — change a button size, adjust some spacing, or tweak a color. But those “quick wins” often turn into long-term losses, leading to a messy, inconsistent UI that confuses users and slows development.

Design debt is like technical debt: shortcuts that seem efficient in the moment create chaos down the line. Without a shared system, visual inconsistencies multiply, developers second-guess design intent, and user experience suffers.

What causes design debt?

It usually starts with innocent intentions:

"Just added a quick icon"
"Tightened the padding a bit"
"Didn't want to bother design — it's small"

We’ve all done it. But enough of these add up fast. Before you know it, the product starts to feel inconsistent, design is out of sync, and developers redo work they thought was already done.

Why design debt matters

🚨 Why it happens

Rushed timelines or MVP mindset (“we’ll fix it later”)
No shared design system
Designers and developers working in silos
Unclear product direction or pivots

📉 Why it’s a problem

Hurts user trust and usability
Makes the product feel messy or inconsistent
Slows future development and design
Causes rework and team friction

🧹 How to manage it

Run regular UX audits and design reviews
Maintain a living design system or component library
Include UI refactoring in your roadmap
Document design decisions with clear rationale

How to prevent design debt

1. Before you code

First check if what you want to change is already in the design system. If yes, you just need to follow it. If not, then ask yourself:

Will users see this change?
Does it affect layout, spacing, interaction, or visuals?

If the answer is “yes” or you’re not sure; it involves design. So ask for a “Test Please” and tag a designer on the PBI before making changes.

2. Track it properly

Even small tweaks need visibility:

Create a PBI for every UI change
Tag it needs-design or minor-UI depending on the impact
Let the PO and designer review and prioritize

3. Use the design system

Design systems are like component libraries — but for UI.

If the component exists, use it
If it doesn’t, ask if a new pattern is needed

Always check with design — no exceptions.

This Menu has had small tweaks added over time: new icons, padding changes, label tweaks — all without a design review.

design debt bad ex — Figure: Bad example – The Mega Menu has evolved and accumulated inconsistencies that breaks the original design

This is the original Menu design — consistent, aligned with the design system, and reviewed by design before implementation.

design debt good ex — Figure: Good example – The Mega Menu is clean and consistent as originally designed

More ways to prevent design debt

Screenshot your change and post it in the PBI before merging
Ask for a quick "test please" from a designer 👀 on spacing, alignment, and component use
Loop in design early on bigger stuff (e.g. layout or feature changes)
After merge, let design know if you created something reusable

Treat design like code

Every visual tweak changes the product — just like changing a line of code. So follow process, get the right people involved, and respect the system. 🤖

Designers