Design documentation is a detailed record of a product’s design specifications. From features to architecture, the document comprises all important information related to a product’s design. It acts as a one-stop guide for the development team, ensuring that they know what needs to be built and how right from day one.
Design documentation acts as a one-stop point where all members of the product development team, even those working remotely, can access product design details. This ensures that your team is on the same page and works collaboratively towards the implementation process.
With well-crafted design documentation, both designers and developers can work together without friction. The documentation keeps all information organized, allowing teams to collaborate with each other and make informed decisions.
When new developers or designers join the team, they need constant assistance with every stage of product development. A well-written design document acts as a single source of truth where new hires can easily understand the nitty-gritties of the product’s design.
The design documentation templates built by ProProfs are crafted keeping in mind the struggles of the product development team.This template has a simple structure with a well-organized table of contents and neatly laid-out categories. It also has a dedicated space to add your company’s brand name and logo. This mobile-responsive template can significantly ease the process of developing and maintaining content.
Creating design documentation requires proper planning. Decide the content you would want to include in the document and how you would want to present it. Set a realistic timeline for the project, involve the right people, and get started.
Building a web-based design document is a collaborative process that requires the collective efforts of the right people. Involve key knowledge holders and assign them relevant roles, so they can work together with minimum friction.
In the process of creating design documentation, you have two options - write everything from the ground up or import existing files. If you already have valuable information in Word docs, Excel sheets, or PPTs, you can import it directly to the document.
Anything that goes into your design documentation should be carefully checked for factual flaws and inaccuracies. The best online documentation software allows you to set workflow status to articles, so they can be reviewed by the right people and published on time.
Once the articles are reviewed by editors, and your document is ready, publish it for both web and mobile devices. Let your product development team have easy access to the document whenever they want.
This design documentation template developed by ProProfs takes care of the structure, so you can fully focus on creating good content. It gives you a predefined framework with a table of contents and topic-specific categories. All you have to do is fill in the right information in the appropriate categories and add your company name and logo in the specified section.
Visual aids can work wonders for your design documentation. Use charts and diagrams in the right places to explain concepts and make your content engaging to read.
Create a design document that covers all relevant topics from start to end. Do not make assumptions, as they can go wrong most of the time. Provide holistic information about each topic for a hassle-free learning experience.
You need to regularly update online design documentation with relevant information. Track your worst-performing articles and failed searches. Identify what users are searching for but not finding the answers to and accordingly add or improve the content.
With an online design documentation template, you can give an appealing structure to the content. Create a home page with all major categories on display. Ensure that articles for each category have short paragraphs and bullet points.
