Corpus Design system
Building structure, clarity, and trust in digital healthcare
Quin | Amsterdam 2021 - 2024
Context
Quin was growing fast. New products, new teams, new ideas. Everyone wanted to improve healthcare by connecting patients, GPs, and specialists, but the tools behind it were starting to show cracks.
The challenge
Designers and developers were doing great work, but often in silos. Components overlapped, styles were hardcoded, and many design decisions came down to gut feel which looked good in isolation but led to subtle differences everywhere. Elements were built for single features rather than reuse, which made scaling difficult. Small visual choices were made from scratch each time, leading to inconsistency and poor accessibility and quality.
To keep scaling, we needed a shared foundation that could support both creativity and consistency.
My role
I joined Quin to help bring structure to the product suite. I co-led the creation of the Corpus Design System, focusing on usability, accessibility, and scalability. Together with a developer, I shaped the token strategy, built reusable components, and established design-to-code standards for the entire platform.
The turning point
We started by reviewing our platform and workflows. Audits revealed duplication and gaps, and interviews showed friction between design and development. Workshops turned these frustrations into direction. We agreed the system should bring clarity, reduce repetition, and help everyone build with more trust and autonomy.
Component audit: Found overlap, gaps, and inconsistencies.
Team feedback: Collected pain points from designers and developers.
Workshop: Aligned on what the system should solve and how to get there.
Setting the foundation
Building on what we learned, I worked with designers, developers, and PMs to define the foundation and create a framework everyone could rely on. We aligned priorities with product goals and planned how the system would evolve alongside our products. The process also involved sharing our approach more broadly across the company to build understanding of how design systems work and why they matter.
Together we defined the structure for tokens, naming conventions, and component categories that fit our workflows and could scale with the pace of innovation. We also implemented a strategy to strengthen the connection between design and development, both technically and culturally.
Bringing it to life
Corpus became the backbone of how we built products. It connected people, tools, and decisions through shared principles and a single source of truth. It gave structure to creativity and made scaling feel natural, not forced.
Beneath the surface, it shaped how teams worked together. From its definition and purpose, to how it served every role in product development, to the anatomy that held it together and the documentation that kept it understandable and alive.
What Corpus made possible
Corpus brought structure to every detail, from spacing and corner radiuses to components and interaction patterns. Its token-based foundation allowed us to reuse functionality across products while adapting styling for each platform. Quin Pro and the patient app could share the same logic and components while keeping their own distinct look and feel.
Reflection
Corpus became a turning point for Quin. It gave the company a shared language and a way to grow with consistency and intent. Getting everyone on board took time, but it built trust and changed how design and development worked together.
For me, it was a lesson in the power of early alignment and open communication. A design system is never finished. It grows with the people who use it. The real success of Corpus lives in how teams kept it alive and made it their own.