Process deep dive

The design contribution process is simple—discover a use case during your standard design process, confirm that it is a valid contribution and submit it via Slack for review, approval and release.

Diagram of the contribution process flow from design to submit to review to approval to publish in Figma.

Before submitting a contribution

Submit via Slack

Once ready, design contributions for our Figma component libraries can be submitted via the Gestalt Design Contribution Form in the #gestalt-design Slack channel.


Screenshot of the Slack interface with a link to the contribution form circled in red.

Pro tip: You can also start a contribution submission from anywhere in Slack by typing the commands /contribution or /gestalt in a message box.

What happens after submitting?

A bird’s eye view of the review process after submission.

Gestalt review process

After a contribution is submitted, a Gestalt Designer On-Call will review the contribution and get back to a contributor within 48 hours to notify them of an initial approval, rejection‌ or need for more information.

Approved contributions get moved to in-process

Once a design is reviewed and approved to move forward, the Gestalt Team will:

  1. Create a branch in the corresponding Gestalt component Figma library
  2. Contributions will be tagged as “compliant”, to separate from the “certified” ones
  3. Gestalt will make sure the contribution is set up with proper auto-layout features and is formatted per the library’s standards
  4. Gestalt design will review the contribution internally
  5. The submitting team will review and test the contribution and make sure it works
  6. Gestalt will publish the contribution for general release
  7. Gestalt will make a plan for certifying a contribution in the future

This will generally be handled in 1–2 design sprints, depending on the urgency of the contribution.

When contributions aren’t accepted

If the Gestalt Team decides not to accept a contribution, there can still be a path forward, whether it’s keeping the design in a local library, or discussing further with Gestalt, product management and leadership. Contact us to find out more.