Cobalt Design System - Product & Design Manager
Establish a cohesive visual identity and foundational design system for Docaposte.
Product & Design Manager
2019 - 2025
Position at Pollux, Docaposte UX team (the Digital Branch of the La Poste Group).
From art direction to industrial maintenance, I was deeply involved in shaping the strategy and advocating for user needs from day one.
My daily mission: drive company-wide adoption and make Cobalt a tool that empowers teams to build more customer-centric experiences.
What I’ve learned:
Contemplating the design system holistically, with a keen sense of timing.
Being 100% convinced that a design system is a crucial milestone for a company’s digital transformation.
TLDR; Creating and maintaining a design system, a 6-year retrospective
From its origins, spread, core values, and limitations, to evolving it into a product or business proposition, deciding whether to iterate or not, all while being consistently supported by the right ambassadors.
Dive into the full case study ↓ 3 min read
2019: It all starts
with Identity
In January 2019, Docaposte updated its logo. Mission : to define and create the brand’s graphic identity.
Final version selected
Application of the brand guidelines across communication materials: print, social media, events…
Crafting a design system from scratch,
a methodology
01. Reviewing the Current State
Understanding the existing screens and design systems.
02. Defining Business Needs
Working closely with Product Owners, Marketing and Communication teams to identify product challenges.
03. Exploring Creative Directions
Iterative workshops that bring in both product teams and business stakeholders (👋 Maileva).
04. Building the Design System
Created components based on a detailed and comprehensive list, ensuring all needs are covered.
05. User testing
Conducted real user tests with a diverse group—no more relying solely on internal product teams 🥲.
06. Sharing “Cobalt Design System”
Talked about the design system constantly across teams in the company and invest in training for employees and developers.
2021: Cobalt
is fully embraced
A cohesive design and a fresh update that makes an impact : a true tool for driving internal change.
Docaposte’s Business units were requesting the Design System and they walked away with a redesigned frontend that puts UX front and center.
2019: Design foundations laid
2020: Cobalt V1 – First release, passed to product teams, Sketch → Figma
2021: Cobalt V2 – First user metrics in, React library built on Storybook + full illustration set
2022: Cobalt V3 – Full package: design, dev, and documentation finally united
B2B principles we now stand by
The purpose of Cobalt is clear: to bring professional web apps to life, where even complex tasks are completed quickly and seamlessly. It is designed to be resolutely functional.
2023: And what about
our showcase sites?
Ah, here’s where communication and design need to focus more on emotional impact than pure functionality.
Challenge accepted : new UI Kit for Showcase Sites
”How far can we stretch the gap between the two systems?”
Business wise
Exploring the creation of our offer
Direction 1: Develop a Design System package for businesses, encompassing everything from the UI Kit to maintaining deployed versions, including training sessions.
Direction 2: Optimize internal funding for our UX/UI design team:
Introduce an annual subscription model for products.
Establish a “design fee” contributed by all entities to create a shared “design fund” available for internal use.
A word on documentation
Unpopular opinion
Nobody enjoys it—it’s a time-consuming vortex, and for what purpose? Honestly, it’s not entirely clear.
The real users rely on tools like Storybook or Figma. And if they have questions? They just call. It’s an internal product for coworkers—let’s keep it practical and approachable.
Well… that was before I checked this beauty: https://brand.dropbox.com/
2024: V4
Following Figma updates, create standardized tokens on all our design systems. “Core” is born with more realistic components ‘faithful to dev’.
Colors, typefaces, spacing, radius, motion, everything is included. As our lead designer says “2 times harder to understand but 1000 times more powerful.”
And dear to my heart and to the Group's constraints: fully accessible and eco-designed.
UX Philosophy
You can’t “wow” the user:
Remove friction.The product team is inherently biased (and that’s normal):
The product must fit into the user’s world — not the other way around.Embrace UX creativity:
One-page flows, lightweight tunnels… Think beyond standard tables when data allows it.
Jan 2025.
As I prepare to leave the company, the cycle begins anew.
Docaposte is refreshing its visual identity and has entrusted us with two exciting projects:
A new UI Kit for showcase websites
Cobalt V4, adapted to the updated branding
After 5-6 years, I leave with a happy sense of closure, knowing the loop has come full circle for me.