A design system should not merely make the happy path look consistent. Its real job is to make the complex product moments easier to design, build and understand.
Design for reality, not the showcase
Empty, loading, error, permission and overflow states deserve as much intentionality as the primary interface. They are where trust is built.
A practical test
Choose any key component. Can a new team member use it confidently in a dense screen, a small viewport and a state with missing data?