ARTICLE SUMMARY: As designers we know how tough creating a design system can be. It’s hard, but harder yet is the documentation. Without the written information that describes what every element does and what it should and shouldn’t be used for, how do you communicate this information effectively to anyone involved with the project.
Simplifying the writing of design system documentation is crucial for maintaining consistency, accessibility, and usability across all teams.
“Design systems: simplifying documentation writing” by Dean Harrison looks, through personal experience, to help the designer get a grip on documentation and to simplify the process. He talks about
- Breaking things down
- Something to keep in mind
- Maintaining your documentation and system
When multiple agencies are working on a project there must be clarity. You need simplified documentation that reduces jargon and unnecessary complexity, making it easier for all stakeholders, designers, developers, product managers, and clients to understand the design’s goals and requirements.
Simplified documentation cuts down on the time spent creating and reading long, complex documents. This frees up time for more strategic or creative work, like actual design iterations.
Dean Harrison finishes off his article by telling us “a design system is a tool that needs to fit your needs, and while I’ve given an approach here that I hope is useful and helps get you off that starting line, it’s important to remember that whatever you do needs to work for you.”
This is a great article with a lot of links to help you along in mastering effective documentation. This is a great resource to have handy, let us know what you think in the comments.
