FINDING AND FIXING DESIGN SYSTEM DRIFT

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Design drift — the gap between Figma files and shipped product — is inevitable in fast-moving teams and stems from entropy, not negligence or failure. Screen drift, involving easily spotted rendering differences, differs from component drift, which involves underlying changes requiring human judgment. AI can assist with visual diffing to catch the former. Code represents "now" while Figma represents "next," and scheduled reconciliation between the two lets Figma regain its authority for planning future changes.