A new future for AU Design System?

Last week the federal government decommissioned the AU design system, an open-source, inclusive design pattern library. The AU design system was an important step towards a consistent user experience across government services.

In my time at the DTA I have seen many brilliant designers and developers contribute to AU Design System. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen the product struggle with limited funding and support. With it entirely decommissioned, each agency is now left to build their own pattern library, which is likely to create a disjointed user experience and make it harder to meet web accessibility standards.

With many other Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) products and services also either being decommissioned or moved to other agencies, the focus of the DTA is moving away from innovation and digital delivery.

While the AU Design System may not be a political priority, it has strong support from developers, designers and accessibility experts. Learn more about the project to move the AU Design System to a community-driven model.