Kristen Pol at DrupalCon Atlanta 2025: A summary

The main focus of Kristen Pol’s session at DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 was showcasing how Starshot’s Experience Builder helps Drupal teams effectively integrate design systems and Single Directory Components (SDCs). The session demonstrated practical techniques and best practices to simplify Drupal page building and ensure design consistency and flexibility.

Launch your design system into hyperdrive with Starshot’s Experience Builder: a summary.

Kristen introduced Starshot’s Experience Builder as a powerful, intuitive tool designed to empower non-technical users to easily create and manage Drupal website layouts through a drag-and-drop interface. She highlighted how Experience Builder leverages the structured strengths of Drupal and combines them seamlessly with design systems and Single Directory Components (SDCs), significantly streamlining the web design and development process.

How Startshot’s Experience Builder works

Kristen provided a live demonstration, quickly building headers, footers and complex page sections using Experience Builder’s drag-and-drop interface. She showcased key features such as global regions, reusable sections and flexible styling options, enabling users to easily customise and manage Drupal pages without technical complexity.

Understanding design systems

Design systems ensure consistent branding, enhance efficiency in web development and improve collaboration between designers, developers and content teams. Kristen highlighted examples like Google’s Material Design, BBC’s Design System and CivicTheme, underscoring their value in building intuitive and cohesive user experiences across various digital platforms.

Single Directory Components (SDCs) and their role in Drupal development

Kristen explained Single Directory Components as modular Drupal components structured around YAML metadata, Twig templates, CSS and JavaScript. She distinguished clearly between:

• Props: Structured, predefined data fields defining component functionality and appearance.
• Slots: Flexible areas allowing content editors to insert diverse content freely.

Kristen advised developers to carefully balance these two approaches based on the user requirements and design flexibility needed.

Kristen’s best practices for Drupal component development

Kristen shared valuable practical recommendations for creating components:

• Focus on User Experience: Keep designs intuitive and user-friendly.
• Clear Naming Conventions: Use understandable, consistent naming for easier collaboration.
• Reusable Patterns: Leverage reusable components to avoid unnecessary complexity.
• Limit Complexity: Offer fewer options with effective defaults and placeholders to reduce cognitive overload.
• Thoughtful Use of Slots: Allow flexibility, but maintain control to prevent inconsistent design outcomes.

What comes next: future enhancements and roadmap

Kristen outlined exciting developments planned for Experience Builder, including JavaScript enhancements, dynamic content integration, and content-type templates. A significant focus was also placed on migration strategies, helping Drupal users seamlessly transition from existing solutions like paragraphs and layout builders into Experience Builder, supported by the ongoing Starshot and Drupal community initiatives.

Conclusion

Kristen’s DrupalCon session demonstrated how Starshot’s Experience Builder, combined with robust design systems and SDCs, can dramatically simplify Drupal web design and management. Emphasising ease-of-use and design consistency, Experience Builder emerges as an essential tool for Drupal users aiming for efficiency and flexibility. The Drupal community continues to support its evolution, promising even greater capabilities in the future.

About Kristen Pol

Kristen works with our clients translating business requirements into digital solutions and leading the technical direction in projects.