Speaker defines and prefers the "design system as a product" framing: a connected, version-controlled package (a software product) that contains the minimal set of components and guidelines an organization needs to build digital products consistently, efficiently, and at scale.
Another type of design system is a design system as a product, and that's the one that I like to talk about most when it comes to design systems that big organizations can use to be more efficient and more consistent and more of a relief at scale. This is my preferred definition of a design system, which is a connected package managed version control software product that contains the smallest set of components and guidelines an organization needs to make digital products consistently, efficiently, and happily.
