From silos to synergy: Emulsify’s impact on higher ed website development

Unlocking the Power of Emulsify for Higher Education Web Development

The integration of design systems and component-driven development has revolutionized web development across industries, including higher education. At Four Kitchens, we’re proud to contribute to this evolution through Emulsify, an open-source project designed to streamline web development processes while improving collaboration between teams. In this blog post, we’ll explore what Emulsify is, its role in web development for higher education, and how it enhances accessibility, consistency, and productivity.

Setting the Stage: What is Emulsify?

Emulsify is a free, open-source project that helps accelerate web development by providing tools with sensible defaults and assumptions. It’s used by thousands of Drupal websites and is the backbone for many agencies’ and universities’ web development processes. Initially launched in 2016, Emulsify was built on Pattern Lab and later transitioned to Storybook as the core component library. Over the years, Emulsify has continuously evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of web teams.

One of Emulsify’s standout features is its ability to integrate Figma into the development process, connecting design files to frontend components that can then be wired directly into a Drupal CMS. This creates a smooth, efficient pathway from design to implementation, similar to a "farm-to-table" approach, where each step is connected and seamless.

The Benefits of Emulsify in Higher Education Web Development

Web development in higher education can be complex, with diverse needs across departments, schools, and research centers. These institutions often require a balance between customization and brand consistency, which can lead to cumbersome and lengthy development processes. This is where Emulsify shines.

At its core, Emulsify is built on the concept of component-driven design and development, also known as atomic design. This philosophy involves creating small, reusable components—such as buttons or cards—that aggregate into larger designs like entire web pages. By systematizing the development process in this way, Emulsify allows for better maintainability and easier updates across websites.

One key advantage of Emulsify is that it can run as a standalone component library or be integrated into a Drupal site, making it flexible for different development environments. This flexibility means universities can hire frontend developers without Drupal-specific knowledge, further streamlining the development process.

Improved Collaboration Between Designers and Developers

One of the major pain points in web development has historically been the disconnect between designers and developers. Designers often create custom, visually stunning elements, while developers are left trying to recreate these designs in code—often without a clear understanding of the design intent. This "throw it over the fence" approach can lead to frustration, delays, and inconsistent user experiences.

Emulsify solves this problem by improving collaboration between designers and developers. Through the use of design tokens—small, discrete design decisions such as colors, spacing, or border-radius—Emulsify helps bridge the communication gap. Design tokens provide a shared language between designers and developers, allowing them to speak in the same terms when discussing a design. For example, a color might be defined as "Purple 800" rather than a specific hex code, making it easier for both teams to stay aligned.

Moreover, Emulsify’s integration with Figma allows designers to push their design changes directly to the development team through a shared token system. This means that when a designer updates a color or spacing value in Figma, the change automatically propagates through the component library and into the frontend code. The result is a faster, more efficient workflow where design changes can be made and implemented with minimal friction.

Enhancing Accessibility and Compliance

Accessibility is a critical aspect of web development, especially in higher education, where websites must serve diverse populations with varying abilities. Emulsify places a strong emphasis on accessibility, offering built-in tools to ensure that web components meet the highest standards of compliance.

Emulsify includes automated testing for accessibility, measuring against WCAG 2.2 AA and AAA standards. By incorporating these tests into the development process, web teams can be confident that their sites will meet legal requirements and provide an inclusive experience for all users. Additionally, Emulsify’s component library has been vetted and tested by people with disabilities, ensuring that elements like accordions and menus are accessible out of the box.

Ensuring Consistency Across Departments

At many universities, each department or research center demands its own website, often with unique branding and design requirements. This can lead to a patchwork of sites that vary wildly in terms of user experience, visual consistency, and functionality. Emulsify addresses this issue by offering a design system that supports both brand consistency and flexibility.

Using Emulsify, institutions can create a foundational design system that supports variations while maintaining core branding elements. For instance, departments can choose different layouts, headers, and styles within the approved design system, allowing them to express their individuality while still adhering to institutional branding guidelines.

Conclusion: A Game Changer for Higher Education

Emulsify is more than just a development tool; it’s a comprehensive system that brings designers, developers, and stakeholders together to create more efficient, accessible, and consistent websites. For higher education institutions, this means faster development cycles, reduced technical debt, and websites that are easier to maintain and update.

Whether you’re working on a small departmental website or a large institutional platform, Emulsify can help streamline the process, improve collaboration, and ensure that your site is accessible to all. By embracing component-driven development and design tokens, you’ll be better equipped to meet the challenges of modern web development, providing a better experience for your users and a more efficient workflow for your team.

If you're ready to see how Emulsify can transform your web development process, get in touch with us for a one-on-one session! We’d love to help you get started.