Refining Compose API for Design Systems
Article Summary
Yury from Bumble Tech tackles a problem every Android team faces: how do you build design system components that are both easy to use and flexible enough for edge cases?
Building custom Compose components for design systems requires balancing strict guidelines with real-world flexibility. This article walks through evolving a NavigationBar component from restrictive to extensible, using techniques borrowed from Material Design 3's own implementation patterns.
Key Takeaways
- Restrictive APIs enforce consistency but break when new requirements emerge
- Slot APIs with Defaults objects solve discoverability and scope pollution
- Scoping lambdas eliminate parameter duplication across component configurations
- Separate scopes per slot prevent misuse while maintaining extensibility
Critical Insight
The relaxed with Defaults approach delivers extensible components that enforce design system rules without requiring constant API updates for new use cases.
