Experimental components and patterns

What is an experimental component or pattern?

An experimental component or pattern is something that is being explored by a team on VA.gov, but has not yet been validated sufficiently by our Veterans and caregivers to become a best practice design system component or pattern. Thus on the maturity scale it will be marked as “Use with caution” at the top of any component or pattern page.

Why showcase experimental components and patterns?

Since our community has many people across different contracts and companies building on VA.gov, we often have teams trying out new component or pattern designs. However, before this, there was no place for folks to get visibility into what was happening, resulting in team members working on the same problem spaces without being aware that that was the case.

Additionally, we wanted to create a light-weight process where teams building applications could contribute back to our design system.

Can I use an experimental component or pattern in my application?

Yes. However, if you are using an experimental component or pattern, be aware that it hasn’t necessarily been fully validated. Use with caution and give the component or pattern a try but understand that it may not work in your specific context. Please include any research you have done on the experimental component or pattern on its documentation page for others to see.