In the first part of this article, “Are Grid Systems Still Relevant in Digital Product Design?”, I took a look at the history of grid systems and their practical advantages. In short: grids are still useful for interface design, but the screen is much more complex than the printed page, as both the output media and content are highly variable.

So what’s wrong with grids in UI design tools?

Software developers have tools to help manage screen layout complexity: constraint systems like iOS’ AutoLayout and Android’s ConstraintLayout, Flexbox, and even grid-specific frameworks like the upcoming CSS Grid. But layout decisions should be made by designers, not delegated to developers. They’re critical to the form and function of an interface. Designers must be able to explore the consequences of grid layout decisions visually, not just in code.

75% of interface designers primarily use Photoshop, Illustrator, or Sketch. Each of these tools was created around the metaphor of the page, not the screen. Unsurprisingly, the methods for working with grids in these tools are also based on the print tradition. For digital product designers, this leads to some big pain points in everyday use.