Protocol Design System

Role: Head of Design
Year: 2019

My Role

I was responsible for leading the end-to-end execution of the project—from building and structuring the right team to securing time and commitment from key contributors. My focus was on removing roadblocks, ensuring alignment, and keeping the project on track.

The Team

Jennifer Rouse - UX Design Lead
Justin Kropp - UX Design

The Problem

Mozilla has existed for over 20 years, and for most of that time, its design work was primarily handled by a passionate community of volunteers. As a result, Mozilla’s web presence had grown into a sprawling ecosystem of over 1,500 pages—each with varied interpretations of the Mozilla and Firefox brands, inconsistent UI behaviors, and a lack of shared standards.

Without a systematic approach, maintaining and evolving this complex network of sites became increasingly unsustainable. The inconsistencies in design and user experience diminished trust, created confusion, and diluted the brand.

Pain Points Uncovered in the Protocol Team:

Lack of clear direction and focus
Meetings were too long and unproductive
Decision-making was fragmented, with too many voices at the table
Core contributors couldn’t prioritize Protocol work
Design working sessions lacked protection from distractions

The Solution

We created Protocol, a design system that introduced a unified visual and functional language across Mozilla and Firefox’s web ecosystem. It includes reusable components, high-level guidance for accessibility and content, and a scalable infrastructure that enables distributed teams to collaborate more efficiently—all while maintaining brand consistency.

Protocol enables: