UI Kit Checklist: What Every Designer Needs in 2025

A UI kit should make your work faster — not heavier.
But too often, kits are bloated, inconsistent, or half-finished.

Whether you're building a kit for your team or choosing one from the community, this UI kit checklist will help you figure out what really matters.

Let’s break down the essentials.

🧱 1. Foundation Styles

Before you get to components, make sure the foundations are clear.

•  Color palette with roles (not just hex codes)

•  Type system (font styles, weights, use cases)

•  Spacing scale (8pt system, vertical rhythm)

•  Grid system (columns, breakpoints, gutters)

•  Iconography set (consistent size and style)

•  Shadows, radii, and borders defined

Pro tip: Use Sigma Design System or Tokens Studio to turn foundations into reusable tokens.

🧩 2. Core Components

This is the heart of your UI kit. Think reusable, scalable, and clean.

•  Buttons (primary, secondary, ghost, disabled, loading)

•  Inputs (text fields, dropdowns, checkboxes, radios)

•  Modals, popovers, toasts

•  Cards and content containers

•  Navigation: tabs, sidebars, nav bars

•  Lists, tables, accordions

•  Loaders and empty states

•  Mobile responsiveness / variants

Each component should be:

• Properly named

• Grouped into logical categories

• Built with auto layout (if using Figma)

• Easily swappable between states and variants

🧪 3. Interactive States

A kit isn’t usable unless it thinks about behavior.

•  Hover, focus, active states

•  Disabled and loading versions

•  Validation messages for inputs

•  Animations (if relevant)

•  Light & dark theme support (optional but ideal)

If you want to go deeper into how behavior affects usability, check out User Psychology 3. It connects interaction design with real human behavior — a perfect addition to any UI kit.

📦 4. Real Content Examples

Placeholder content is fine for structure — but your kit should also show real use.

•  Sample cards with actual copy

•  Forms filled with natural text

•  Product pages or dashboards with structure

•  Screens with consistent tone and flow

You’re not just designing components — you’re setting tone, rhythm, and trust.

📚 5. Documentation & Notes

Even the best UI kit becomes confusing if people can’t understand it.

•  Component naming guidelines

•  Usage notes per component

•  How to detach/swap/use properly

•  Do/Don’t examples

•  Link to full design system (if one exists)

You don’t need a full website — but some in-file guidance can go a long way.

💬 Final Thought

A great UI kit doesn’t show off — it serves.

It’s not about having 200 components.
It’s about having the right ones, built in a way that helps teams design faster and more consistently.

Use this checklist to review what you have — or guide what you’re about to build.
Because when your UI kit is clean, thoughtful, and well-documented, your product will reflect it.