Lessons from managing the design system at Booking.com
A developer shares what they learned while keeping a giant website's design consistent. Well-organized systems help teams work faster and keep code clean as they grow.
Managing a design system for a global company like Booking.com requires strict rules for CSS architecture. Clear naming and simple structures are more important than using clever technical tricks. As a website gets bigger, complex solutions often break, so sticking to predictable patterns saves time and effort. For those building with AI, these structured patterns make it much easier for agents to generate correct and efficient code.
Key points
Quick term guide
- share
- A server folder made available to apps or other devices.
- ping
- The time (in milliseconds) it takes for a signal to travel from your device to another and back — lower means faster response.
- Design system
- A set of reusable pieces and rules used to build a website.
- CSS architecture
- The organized way that code for visual styles is written and managed.
- build
- A chosen set of in-game abilities or items a player equips for their character.
- agents
- AI helpers that follow your instructions and make changes for you.
- AI agents
- AI agents are AI tools that can carry out steps toward a goal, not just answer once.
- AI agent
- An AI program that can inspect information and suggest what to do next.