Launched fast, built to last: A scalable design system for a sprinting AI startup

SeaLab partnered with ConnectAI/Goods to design and ship over 100 development-ready screens across 14+ user flows while standing up a scalable Chakra-based design system. By extending core components, creating reusable patterns, and implementing lean design-ops practices for feedback and handoff, we helped the team launch their MVP quickly—without compromising long-term product health.

side-by-side designs of the goods product UI showcasing table designs and expanding navigation

Problem 1

ConnectAI needed rapid design output and a future-proof design system, but those don’t usually go hand-in-hand.

Problem 2

Designs had to cover real, complex user flows — without the luxury of user testing.

Evolution of wireframes to high fidelity design product work for Goods

Grounded the System in Chakra UI and Made It Our Own

We used Chakra UI’s Figma kit as a foundation and built from there, adding custom states, color tokens, and extending components to match ConnectAI/Goods’ brand. We set up a dedicated “sandbox” file where components lived before promotion, allowing us to build in parallel with product work without losing our minds.

Various examples of design system components completed for Goods including custom design

We knew we wouldn’t have perfect information, so we didn’t chase perfection. We focused on getting real, usable designs in front of developers fast — reusing components, sticking to scalable patterns, and moving quickly through 14+ user flows for 5 different personas.

Delivered MVP Designs That Were Built to Evolve

Example deliverable of updated components for development

Built a Feedback Machine (That Actually Worked)

Working with a startup means feedback is part of the job. Sometimes it’s helpful. Sometimes it’s chaos. We set up processes to handle both.

Two designers joined every meeting and took notes directly in Figma. We created a shared ticketing board to align on scope and delivery. And we ran daily async standups in Slack to keep communication high and ambiguity low. Stakeholders knew where things stood — always.

Delivered over 100 individual designs across more than 14 user flows, created for five personas

SeaLab delivered over 100 individual designs across more than 14 user flows, created for five unique personas. That’s not even counting all the success, error, and loading states that gave the app a polished, professional finish. We also developed an accessible graph and data color palette using Material Design standards — because in AI-driven analytics, accessibility isn’t optional.

The result? A fast-moving MVP launch that didn’t compromise long-term design health. A design system that still holds up. And a product team that could keep moving without us holding their hand.

Stacked interfaces showcasing the variety of tables created for Goods

“SeaLab helped us move at true startup speed without sacrificing design quality. They built a scalable design system and shipped dev-ready flows fast—while keeping everything organized, consistent, and easy for our team to carry forward.”

Robert Hougie

Co-founder Goods Inc.