01
OVERVIEW
Designing a visual system for data products
I worked with Zara’s Tech and Data teams to adapt Inditex’s design system to the possibilities and constraints of Power BI. The result was a shared set of components, patterns and guidelines that enabled different teams to create consistent data products within the platform.
Alongside this, I designed dashboards and data visualisations, shaping complex information into clear, actionable experiences across different devices, screen sizes and contexts.
Alongside this, I designed dashboards and data visualisations, shaping complex information into clear, actionable experiences across different devices, screen sizes and contexts.
02
Challenge
A design system within a design system
Inditex already had an established design system, but applying it directly to Power BI came with technical and visual limitations. Components, patterns and visual styles needed to be adapted to work within the platform rather than simply replicated.
With different teams creating data products in Power BI, there was an opportunity to create a shared framework that could bring consistency while still working within the constraints of the tool.
The challenge
How might we adapt the Inditex design system to Power BI and create a shared set of components and guidelines that different teams could use across their data products?
03
Approach
Rather than recreating the design system from scratch, I looked at how its existing principles could work within Power BI.
I mapped the existing visual language against the platform’s capabilities and constraints, identifying which elements could be translated directly and which needed to be adapted.
From there, I developed a set of reusable components, patterns and guidelines that could be applied consistently across different data products and teams.
Supporting adoption
Once the new components and guidelines were ready, I ran sessions with the different teams to introduce the new system and explain how to use it. I then worked with development teams to support implementation, using the Figma components as a shared reference for translating the designs into Power BI.
Once the new components and guidelines were ready, I ran sessions with the different teams to introduce the new system and explain how to use it. I then worked with development teams to support implementation, using the Figma components as a shared reference for translating the designs into Power BI.
04
Building the system
01 — From Excel-like tables to Inditex products
The starting point was a set of data products that looked and felt more like complex Excel tables than Inditex products. Large amounts of information had to be scanned quickly, with users needing to identify key data, changes and alerts at a glance.
Across different Data & Tech teams, each product had also evolved with its own visual language, making them feel disconnected from the wider Inditex ecosystem.
I translated Inditex’s existing design principles into Power BI, defining how typography, colour, spacing, components, tables, charts and filters could work within the platform. This became a shared visual foundation that different teams could use when designing their data products.
02 — Turning complex data into something scannable
For one of the dashboards, I transformed a dense Excel-style table into a visual data experience designed around what users needed to notice first.
Instead of scanning rows of data to find changes or potential issues, users could quickly identify what needed attention through visual hierarchy, status indicators and clear data relationships.
The goal was not simply to make the data look better, but to make a complex dataset faster and easier to read, understand and act on.
05
Decisions
01 - Consistency within constraintsPower BI came with its own technical and visual constraints, meaning the Inditex design system couldn't simply be replicated as it was. I worked through these limitations to determine which elements could be carried across, which needed to be adapted, and how to preserve the core visual language while making it work within the platform.
02 — Designing for reuse
Rather than designing each data product from scratch, I created a shared set of components, patterns and guidelines that different teams could use across Power BI. The Figma library provided a common foundation for teams to build consistent products, while allowing them to adapt the components to their specific data and use cases.
Rather than designing each data product from scratch, I created a shared set of components, patterns and guidelines that different teams could use across Power BI. The Figma library provided a common foundation for teams to build consistent products, while allowing them to adapt the components to their specific data and use cases.
07
Outcome
Adopted across Data & Tech
The new style guide and Figma components were adopted by Data & Tech teams across Inditex, giving different products a shared visual language and reusable foundation.
The new style guide and Figma components were adopted by Data & Tech teams across Inditex, giving different products a shared visual language and reusable foundation.
Designed to scale
The resources were made accessible to other teams and designers, allowing them to adapt their Power BI products independently while staying aligned with the system.
The resources were made accessible to other teams and designers, allowing them to adapt their Power BI products independently while staying aligned with the system.
From design to implementation
I introduced the new components to Product Owners and developers through hands-on sessions, helping teams understand how to use the Figma library and bring the designs into Power BI. Once teams had implemented their solutions, we held refinement sessions with developers to review the adaptations and ensure the system worked in practice.
I introduced the new components to Product Owners and developers through hands-on sessions, helping teams understand how to use the Figma library and bring the designs into Power BI. Once teams had implemented their solutions, we held refinement sessions with developers to review the adaptations and ensure the system worked in practice.
A selection of data products applying the shared visual language and component system.
A design system that could grow beyond the team that created it