Design System Integration

Overview

Integration strategy for Figma design systems and GitHub Pages deployment with demo-based development methodology.

Current Status: The project currently uses GitHub Pages for experimental proof-of-concept demos. This document outlines the planned enhancement to a more powerful Figma-based design system with GitHub Pages deployment for enhanced interactive rapid prototyping capabilities.

Current Implementation vs. Future Vision

Current (Proof of Concept)

Platform: GitHub Pages deployment
Demo: Basic interactive demo with sample data
URL: https://boost-edu-tools.github.io/gitinspectorgui/demo/
Purpose: Validate core functionality and user experience concepts

Future (Figma-Enhanced Design System)

Platform: GitHub Pages (extended with Figma integration)
Design: Figma-integrated design tokens and components
Demos: Advanced interactive prototyping with realistic scenarios
Purpose: Rapid iteration with design consistency and comprehensive user feedback

GitHub Pages + Figma Integration Strategy

The current GitHub Pages deployment can be enhanced with Figma-based rapid prototyping:

Enhanced CI/CD Pipeline

The deployment uses GitHub Actions for automated deployment:

# .github/workflows/deploy.yml - Enhanced with Figma sync
name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  sync-figma-tokens:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "18"
      - name: Install Figma CLI
        run: npm install -g @figma/design-tokens-cli
      - name: Export Figma tokens
        run: |
          figma-tokens export --token ${{ secrets.FIGMA_TOKEN }} --file-id ${{ secrets.FIGMA_FILE_ID }}
          cp figma-tokens.json src/design-tokens/
        env:
          FIGMA_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.FIGMA_TOKEN }}
          FIGMA_FILE_ID: ${{ secrets.FIGMA_FILE_ID }}
      - name: Upload tokens artifact
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: figma-tokens
          path: src/design-tokens/figma-tokens.json

  deploy:
    needs: sync-figma-tokens
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pages: write
      id-token: write
    environment:
      name: github-pages
      url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Download Figma tokens
        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: figma-tokens
          path: src/design-tokens/
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "18"
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install
      - name: Build with Figma integration
        run: |
          if [ -f "src/design-tokens/figma-tokens.json" ]; then
            echo "Building with Figma design tokens..."
            npm run build:figma
          else
            echo "Building with standard configuration..."
            npm run build
          fi
        env:
          NODE_ENV: production
      - name: Setup Pages
        uses: actions/configure-pages@v4
      - name: Upload artifact
        uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3
        with:
          path: "./dist"
      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        id: deployment
        uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4

Design Token Integration

// src/design-tokens/figma-integration.ts
import figmaTokens from "./figma-tokens.json";

export const generateTailwindConfig = () => ({
  theme: {
    colors: figmaTokens.colors,
    spacing: figmaTokens.spacing,
    typography: figmaTokens.typography,
    // Auto-generated from Figma
  },
});

Architecture

graph TB
    A[Figma Design System] --> B[Design Tokens]
    B --> C[Tailwind Config]
    C --> D[React Components]
    D --> E[Demo Modes]
    E --> F[GitHub Pages Deployment]
    F --> G[Interactive Docs]

Design Token Pipeline

Figma Integration

// Auto-sync Figma tokens to Tailwind
const { figmaToTailwind } = require("@figma/design-tokens");

async function syncDesignTokens() {
  const tokens = await fetchFigmaTokens();
  const tailwindConfig = figmaToTailwind(tokens);
  await updateTailwindConfig(tailwindConfig);
}

Component Development

interface ComponentProps {
  data?: RealData;
  demoMode?: boolean;
  figmaVariant?: "default" | "compact" | "detailed";
}

export const DesignSystemComponent = ({
  data,
  demoMode,
  figmaVariant = "default",
}: ComponentProps) => {
  const styles = useFigmaTokens(figmaVariant);
  const displayData = demoMode ? generateDemoData() : data;

  return <div className={styles.container}>{/* Implementation */}</div>;
};

GitHub Pages Multi-Environment Strategy

Deployment Configuration

# .github/workflows/pages.yml
name: Deploy Documentation and Demo
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pages: write
      id-token: write
    environment:
      name: github-pages
      url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      # Build React demo with Figma integration
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "18"
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install
      - name: Check for Figma tokens and build
        run: |
          if [ -f "src/design-tokens/figma-tokens.json" ]; then
            echo "Figma tokens found, building with design system integration..."
            npm run build:figma --base="/gitinspectorgui/demo/"
          else
            echo "No Figma tokens found, building with standard configuration..."
            npm run build --base="/gitinspectorgui/demo/"
          fi

      # Build documentation
      - uses: actions/setup-python@v4
        with:
          python-version: "3.11"
      - name: Install Python dependencies
        run: |
          pip install mkdocs mkdocs-material mkdocs-mermaid2-plugin
      - name: Build documentation
        run: mkdocs build

      # Combine and deploy
      - name: Prepare deployment
        run: |
          mkdir -p public
          cp -r site/* public/
          mkdir -p public/demo
          cp -r dist/* public/demo/

      - name: Setup Pages
        uses: actions/configure-pages@v4
      - name: Upload artifact
        uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3
        with:
          path: "./public"
      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        id: deployment
        uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4

Repository Structure

gitinspectorgui/
├── src/
│   ├── components/        # React components
│   ├── design-tokens/     # Figma exports
│   │   ├── figma-tokens.json
│   │   └── tailwind-config.ts
│   └── demo-data/         # Sample data
├── docs/                  # MkDocs documentation
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/         # GitHub Actions
└── figma/
    ├── design-system.fig  # Figma file reference
    └── export-config.json # Token export settings

Development Workflow

Enhanced AI Development

// AI prompt with Figma context
const aiPrompt = `
Build ${componentName} using:
- Design tokens from figma-tokens.json
- Flowbite patterns for ${componentType}
- Demo modes with realistic data
- Auto-deploy to GitHub Pages for testing
`;

Feedback Loop

sequenceDiagram
    AI->>Demo: Build component with demo modes
    Demo->>GitHub Pages: Deploy interactive demos
    GitHub Pages->>Users: Provide live experience
    Users->>AI: Feedback improves iteration

Benefits

Development

Design consistency - Single source of truth from Figma
Rapid iteration - Auto-deploy demos for testing
User feedback - Real usage data drives improvements
Component reuse - Shared design system across apps

User Experience

Try before install - Full app simulation in browser
Configuration wizard - Visual setup matching desktop
Interactive tutorials - Learn with realistic data
Settings export - Download JSON for desktop app

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Foundation

Set up Figma design token export
Configure Tailwind with Figma tokens
Create AI prompts referencing design specs
Build components with Figma constraints

Phase 2: Deployment

Enhance GitHub Pages with Figma integration
Create auto-deployment pipeline with design tokens
Build interactive demo framework
Implement settings export

Phase 3: Feedback Integration

Add analytics to demos
Create user behavior feedback loop
Implement A/B testing
Build performance monitoring

Repository Analysis Tool Benefits

Interactive Features

Sample repository demos - Try with curated examples
Blame analysis previews - See output before running
Visual configuration - Settings builder with preview
Performance testing - Try different repository sizes

Academic Integration

Course embedding - Interactive demos in curricula
Student onboarding - Progressive learning path
Configuration sharing - Teachers share via URLs
Results comparison - Compare analysis settings

GitHub Actions Integration

Automated Workflows

# .github/workflows/figma-sync.yml
name: Sync Figma Design Tokens
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 9 * * 1" # Weekly on Monday
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  sync-tokens:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Sync Figma tokens
        run: |
          npm install -g @figma/design-tokens-cli
          figma-tokens export --token ${{ secrets.FIGMA_TOKEN }}
      - name: Create Pull Request
        uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v5
        with:
          title: "chore: update Figma design tokens"
          body: "Automated update of design tokens from Figma"
          branch: figma-token-update

Release Integration

# .github/workflows/release.yml
name: Release
on:
  push:
    tags: ["v*"]

jobs:
  deploy-demo:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Deploy demo with release tag
        run: |
          npm run build --base="/gitinspectorgui/demo/v${{ github.ref_name }}/"
          # Deploy versioned demo for release testing

Summary

Design system integration creates a comprehensive ecosystem where Figma designs, React components, and GitHub Pages deployment work together through AI automation. This produces consistent user experiences while enabling rapid iteration and user feedback collection.

The GitHub Pages approach provides all the benefits of rapid prototyping and design system integration while maintaining consistency with the existing development workflow and adding powerful Figma-based design capabilities.

Key Advantages

Native GitHub Integration - Seamless workflow with existing repository
Automated Deployment - GitHub Actions handle all deployment steps
Version Control - Design tokens tracked in git with full history
Cost Effective - No external services required
Scalable - Supports multiple environments and versioned demos
Secure - Figma tokens managed through GitHub Secrets