normalize

Audit the feature against design system documentation, then systematically replace hard-coded values with design tokens and custom implementations with design system components. Verify the result with linting, type-checking, and tests.

Design drift occurs when features accumulate one-off styles and components that diverge from the design system. Detect it by comparing a feature's typography, colors, spacing, and components against documented tokens and shared UI patterns.

Normalize when the feature works functionally but deviates cosmetically or structurally from the design system. Redesign only when the underlying UX pattern itself is wrong, since normalization prioritizes consistency with established user flows.

Yes, normalization includes verifying contrast ratios, focus states, and ARIA labels against design system requirements. Accessibility is treated as a mandatory dimension and is never compromised for visual consistency.

Normalization depends on existing design system documentation; without clear tokens and patterns, the process requires gathering design context first. It also cannot fix fundamentally broken UX flows, only align them with established conventions.