Queensland Government Design System

The Queensland Government design system is being developed as a whole-of-government initiative to support the Digital services policy and standards. The design system will guide agencies in designing their digital products and platforms for a consistent experience.

A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that are used to build digital products and platforms. It provides a consistent look and feel across the Queensland Government’s (QG) digital properties.

This project is lead by the Queensland Government Customer and Digital Group (QGCDG).

Benefits

For Queenslanders

1. An improved and consistent experience when using digital products and websites.

2. A uniform visual identity and patterns which help to create trust across digital government services.

3. Components that produce a mobile-friendly interface.

4. Harmony of digital products within the ecosystem of QG applications.

For Queensland Government web teams

1. Unified language within and across teams.

2. Confidence in meeting accessibility requirements by having a suite of tested components.

3. Faster development by providing pre-designed components, patterns and templates.

4. Style manuals outlining the best practice use of components, colours and fonts.

Future state

The Queensland Government design system aims to transition into a fully supported digital product. It will include dedicated teams and technologies, functioning as an end-to-end digital product. The design system is a deliverable of Our Thriving Digital Future - Queensland Digital Economy Strategy and Our Thriving Digital Future: 2023 - 2026 Action Plan. Funding has been allocated accordingly, with a dedicated team established in January 2024.

Milestones:

March 2024 update

• Project established with Queensland Health (QH) to migrate the Queensland Health design system (QHDS) to a whole-of-government solution.
• Technical Working Group established to inform and decide on shared priorities, ways of working, and a community contribution model.
• Published a presence on For government.
• Established key resources in the design system team for central management and contribution of design and code instances.
• Community engagement model in development.

Background

QH drew inspiration from the Australian Government Design System (AuDS), as well as the UK Government, Microsoft and Google to develop the QHDS. It addresses the need to improve the user experience in a uniform way across QH online platforms.

Recognising the need for a consistent approach, QH collaborated with the QGCDG to plan the transition of QHDS into a whole-of-government design system. This initiative aligns with the Queensland Government's Digital services policy, Service standards, and Digital services transition plan.

As the Queensland Government design system progresses, QHDS will phase out. To facilitate the transition, collaboratively, QH and QGCDG have published an open-access website that includes design and code files. All QG agencies can use this to design current digital service projects.

This project is subject to:

• QGEA foundation principles
• Digital and ICT best practice methodologies