Design systems doc framework
Effective design systems “show” as much as they “tell.” While usage examples and component demos help reinforce foundations and guidelines, some topics rely on written docs.
Challenge
It’s not always easy to know how much documentation is the right amount.
Design system documentation has a tendancy to over explain.
Someone asks a question about a component interaction a design system, an initial content strategy, teams often defer to the tendancy to providing info that is less relevant, putting the onus on the reader to sift through. Not only is it difficult to read, but it’s harder for authors to maintain.
How I helped
Adapting a common software documentation framework, I established a way to more efficiently add and update documentation in the design system.
quantify a doc structure to help authors prioritize the reader goal.
By organizing information that distinctly explains or provides data, we provided information where people expected it, while staying out of their way.
The framework doubled as requirements for creating docs, letting authors add to them in a way where though they were never finished, but always complete.
