How to structure design system docs and tools for devs & designers?

Long Answer

Making a design system accessible to both designers and developers requires more than just documenting components; it demands a shared language, tooling, and workflows. The goal is to eliminate handoff friction and ensure both roles can contribute, consume, and evolve the system.

1) Structure and layers of documentation
Documentation should reflect three levels:

• Foundations: color, typography, spacing, accessibility rules. These are presented as design tokens for developers and style definitions in Figma for designers.
  
• Components: each component includes anatomy diagrams, usage guidelines, states, and accessibility notes for designers; alongside props, API references, and live code examples for developers.
  
• Patterns: larger flows (forms, onboarding, modals) described visually and in code. These help ensure consistency across teams.
  

2) Tooling for designers
Provide Figma libraries (or Sketch/Adobe XD) with atomic foundations and component sets. Include built-in documentation in tooltips or sidebar panels. Annotate components with do/don’t examples. Include accessibility notes such as contrast ratios, focus order, and motion guidelines. For cross-tool parity, link back to the source-of-truth tokens.

3) Tooling for developers
Developers benefit from interactive playgrounds like Storybook or Ladle, where components can be tested with knobs/controls. Documentation should include:

• Installation instructions.
  
• Code snippets in multiple frameworks (React, Vue, Angular).
  
• Prop tables and API references.
  
• Accessibility annotations (ARIA roles, keyboard behavior).
  CI pipelines should auto-generate docs from code comments to reduce drift.
  

4) Bridging tooling via tokens
The single source of truth is design tokens (colors, font sizes, spacings, radii). Tokens are stored in a platform-agnostic format (JSON, Style Dictionary) and exported to both Figma and developer environments. This ensures designers and developers literally consume the same values.

5) Accessibility and inclusivity
Accessibility must be first-class in both tools:

• Designers get contrast checkers and WCAG references in Figma.
  
• Developers get linting rules, testing libraries (axe-core, jest-axe), and accessibility guidelines embedded in Storybook.
  Documentation clearly indicates accessibility requirements for each component.
  

6) Contribution and governance
Both roles should have clear contribution workflows. Designers propose changes in Figma with rationale; developers implement in code and update Storybook. Documentation should describe contribution guidelines, review processes, and release versioning. Governance avoids “design drift” and keeps both sides aligned.

7) Findability and versioning
Docs must be searchable, versioned, and accessible across teams. Tools like Docusaurus, Zeroheight, or integrated portals can house the system. Cross-link design and code examples. Tag releases with semantic versioning, so both Figma files and npm packages align.

8) Real-world examples

• Shopify Polaris: unified Figma libraries + React docs in Storybook.
  
• IBM Carbon: tokens as JSON powering both Sketch kits and React libraries.
  
• Atlassian’s ADG: clear usage guidelines with “dos/don’ts” side-by-side with code snippets.
  

Summary
A well-structured design system combines designer-friendly docs (visuals, do/don’ts, accessibility cues) with developer-friendly tooling (code APIs, Storybook, tokens). The unifying glue is design tokens and governance. This ensures designers and developers collaborate effectively, scaling the system across the organization.

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Table

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Common Mistakes

A common mistake is treating documentation as static “component catalogs” rather than living resources. Designers often get Figma kits without usage rules, while developers get Storybook without context—causing misalignment. Another error is failing to unify tokens, leading to mismatched colors or spacing between design and code. Some systems ignore accessibility, leaving gaps between intention and implementation. Others centralize docs in one tool (e.g., Confluence) but without interactivity, discouraging adoption. Lack of contribution guidelines results in design drift and shadow libraries. Finally, skipping versioning means designers update components while developers ship outdated ones, creating trust gaps in the system.

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Sample Answers (Junior / Mid / Senior)

Junior:
“I’d keep Figma libraries updated for designers and Storybook for developers. Each component should have notes, code snippets, and visual examples. Accessibility basics like contrast rules are documented.”

Mid-Level:
“I’d structure docs around foundations, components, and patterns. Designers use Figma kits with usage guidelines, while developers use Storybook with prop tables. Tokens sync both sides. Accessibility rules and do/don’ts are embedded. Contribution workflows keep alignment.”

Senior:
“I’d establish a single source of truth with design tokens exported to Figma and code. Docs are hosted in a portal combining Zeroheight (design context) and Storybook (dev context). Patterns include accessibility rules, design rationales, and API references. Governance ensures version alignment and contribution workflows. This dual approach scales across orgs and builds trust between design and dev teams.”

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Evaluation Criteria

Interviewers look for:

• Clear documentation structure (foundations → components → patterns).
  
• Dual tooling support: Figma for designers, Storybook/Docs for developers.
  
• Single source of truth with design tokens syncing across platforms.
  
• Emphasis on accessibility (WCAG, ARIA, contrast).
  
• Contribution and governance workflows (PRs, design reviews, versioning).
  
• Real-world examples of mature systems (Carbon, Polaris, ADG).
  
• Evidence of empathy for both roles, not bias toward one.
  

Superficial answers (“just publish a Storybook”) score low. Strong ones highlight layered docs, tokens, governance, and tooling that connect teams.

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Preparation Tips

Practice by building a small design system. In Figma, create tokens for color/typography and export with Style Dictionary. Build matching React components in Storybook with prop tables. Document usage, do/don’ts, and accessibility notes. Host docs in a portal like Docusaurus or Zeroheight. Add contribution guidelines for both designers (Figma proposals) and developers (PR reviews). Test accessibility with axe-core and color contrast checkers. Version releases and tag them across Figma + npm. Rehearse a 60–90s pitch explaining how your system bridges design/development, reduces drift, and scales. Bring examples: a Figma component + Storybook snippet showing token parity.

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Real-world Context

Shopify’s Polaris is a prime example: Figma kits provide design guidance, while React Storybook offers code and APIs. IBM’s Carbon uses JSON design tokens as a bridge between Sketch kits and React/Vue components. Atlassian’s ADG documents patterns visually and technically, embedding accessibility rules. In practice, teams succeed when both designers and developers can access the same documentation portal, search easily, and trust version alignment. When accessibility is baked into both design and code docs, adoption grows. Real-world systems prove that combining visual guidance + code demos + shared tokens makes a design system usable by everyone, not just one discipline.

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Key Takeaways

• Structure docs around foundations, components, patterns.
  
• Provide Figma libraries + Storybook demos as dual entry points.
  
• Maintain a single source of truth with design tokens.
  
• Bake in accessibility at design and code levels.
  
• Version, govern, and document contributions to avoid drift.

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Practice Exercise

Scenario: You’re tasked with making a design system accessible across a growing org of designers and developers. Adoption has stalled because designers stick to Figma while developers rely on ad-hoc components.

Tasks:

1. Define documentation structure: foundations (tokens), components (usage + APIs), patterns (flows).
   
2. Build Figma library with annotated components, do/don’t examples, and accessibility notes.
   
3. Create Storybook workspace with code snippets, prop tables, and live demos.
   
4. Sync tokens between Figma and Storybook using Style Dictionary.
   
5. Host unified docs portal (Zeroheight or Docusaurus) linking design + dev resources.
   
6. Add governance: contribution guidelines, versioning strategy, review process.
   
7. Integrate accessibility testing (axe-core, WCAG checkers) into docs.
   
8. Conduct user testing: ask a designer to find a component’s rationale and a developer to copy its code.
   
   

Deliverable: A unified documentation portal screenshot + a 60–90s narrative showing how both roles consume the same system, with trust in tokens, clear accessibility rules, and aligned versioning.