# Opinion: Jetpack Compose needs a Design System layer

DevFeed: [Opinion: Jetpack Compose needs a Design System layer](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/opinion-jetpack-compose-needs-a-design-system-layer-25996.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://proandroiddev.com/opinion-jetpack-compose-needs-a-design-system-layer-dc579fde79b2?source=rss-37290b859aca------2>)

Author: Nick Rout

Published: 2024-03-15T14:05:16Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Stories by Nick Rout on Medium](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/stories-by-nick-rout-on-medium.md>)

Topics: [Jetpack Compose](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/jetpack-compose.md>), [Design system](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/design-system.md>), [Android](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/android.md>), [Kotlin](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/kotlin.md>), [Figma](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/figma.md>), [multiplatform](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/multiplatform.md>)

Tags: [android](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/android.md>), [components](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/components.md>), [compose](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compose.md>), [compose-multiplatform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compose-multiplatform.md>), [design-system](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/design-system.md>), [design-systems](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/design-systems.md>), [figma](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/figma.md>), [jetpack-compose](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/jetpack-compose.md>), [kotlin](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kotlin.md>), [opinion](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/opinion.md>), [patterns](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/patterns.md>), [product-design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/product-design.md>), [themes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/themes.md>), [tokens](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tokens.md>)

## AI overview

An opinion article argues that Jetpack Compose should include a design-system layer. It praises Compose's Kotlin APIs, concise UI implementation, unidirectional data flow, and tooling, while contending that design systems deserve stronger support and that Material Design should be a choice rather than the default.

## Source excerpt

Photo by Clark Van Der Beken on UnsplashIn a world of Android complexity, Compose Multiplatform, design-to-code automation, and UIs that need to differentiate by brand identity and craft... Material Design should be a choice, not the default. Featured in Android Weekly Issue #614, Kotlin Weekly Issue #398, and jetc.dev Issue #205 Jetpack Compose is awesome. I'm probably preaching to the choir in saying that it gave native Android development the "shot in the arm" it sorely needed after ~10 years of XML and Views. It claims to be modern and intuitive, and it is--it's easy to rave about the Kotlin-only APIs, the reduced lines of code for both simple and complex UIs, how it's designed for unidirectional data flow (UDF), the growing tooling/community support... However, a quote from the official Why adopt Compose documentation sums it up quite nicely: "There are fewer steps between the thing you want to make and actually making it." I'd wager that this is the "north star" of Compose (and any UI toolkit for that matter): making it easier to implement what your product team--whether that's you as an indie developer or an entire team of designers--has envisioned. Compose is very good at doing this in most cases but, in my opinion, it could be better in one particular, important area: design systems. Why are design systems important in the context of Compose? Before we dive in: If you need an introduction to or a refresher on design systems, Figma has conveniently started publishing a series on the topic starting with Design systems 101: What is a design system? I also recommend checking out designsystems.com (also by Figma) and reading Design That Scales by Dan Mall. Design systems are the "secret sauce" (of truth) for UIs at scale. Just as Compose seems to be the UI-toolkit-shaped silver bullet for Android development (and possibly other platforms), design systems have the same sleek, shiny casing in the world of product design, and they're here to stay. Your aforementioned pr