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Design System Documentation

Create comprehensive documentation for design system components including usage guidelines, code examples, and best practices.

Use Case

Documenting design system components, creating usage guidelines, or writing component specifications for designers and developers.

Prompt

Create documentation for [component/pattern name] in our design system. Include:

1. Component Overview
   - Component name and purpose
   - When to use this component
   - When NOT to use (alternatives)
   - Key use cases
   - Component category

2. Visual Examples
   - Default state
   - All variants (primary, secondary, etc.)
   - All sizes (small, medium, large)
   - All states (default, hover, active, focus, disabled, loading, error, success)
   - Light and dark mode versions
   - Before/after examples

3. Anatomy
   - Label each part of the component
   - Explain what each part does
   - Required vs. optional elements
   - Sizing and spacing specifications
   - Example: "Button: Icon (optional) + Label (required) + Loading indicator (optional)"

4. Usage Guidelines
   **Do's:**
   - Best practices for using this component
   - Recommended use cases
   - Accessibility considerations
   - UX patterns that work well
   
   **Don'ts:**
   - Common mistakes to avoid
   - When not to use this component
   - Anti-patterns
   - Accessibility pitfalls

5. Content Guidelines
   - Character limits and recommendations
   - Tone and voice guidance
   - Capitalization rules
   - Punctuation guidelines
   - Placeholder text examples
   - Error message examples (if applicable)

6. Accessibility
   - ARIA labels and roles
   - Keyboard navigation instructions
   - Screen reader considerations
   - Focus management
   - Color contrast requirements
   - WCAG compliance level (A, AA, AAA)

7. Variants and Options
   For each variant, document:
   - When to use it
   - Visual example
   - Code example
   - Unique properties
   
   Example variants:
   - Button: primary, secondary, tertiary, ghost, danger
   - Input: text, password, email, number, search
   - Size: small, medium, large
   - State: default, hover, active, disabled, loading, error

8. Behavior and Interactions
   - What happens on click/tap?
   - What happens on hover?
   - What happens on focus?
   - Animation and transitions
   - Loading states
   - Error states and validation
   - Success states

9. Code Examples
   **Design:**
   - Figma component link or embed
   - Design token values used
   - Spacing and sizing values
   
   **Development:**
   - Basic usage code snippet
   - All props/parameters explained
   - Common configurations
   - Advanced examples
   - Integration with other components

10. Responsive Behavior
    - How component adapts to mobile
    - Breakpoint behavior
    - Touch vs. mouse interactions
    - Mobile-specific considerations

11. Related Components
    - Components that work well together
    - Alternative components
    - Components this depends on
    - Components that depend on this

12. Best Practices
    - Performance considerations
    - When to use vs. build custom
    - Common patterns
    - Design system principles this component embodies

13. Change Log
    - Version history
    - Recent updates
    - Deprecation notices
    - Migration guides

Format as a comprehensive, scannable documentation page with clear sections, visual examples, and code snippets.

How to use

  1. 1Replace [component/pattern name] with the specific component. Example: "Button component" or "Alert pattern"
  2. 2Gather component info: Before running prompt, collect component specs, variants, and states
  3. 3Add context: Describe your design system. Example: "Design system for SaaS product, built in React, uses Tailwind CSS, follows WCAG AA standards."
  4. 4Include examples: Mention existing examples. Say "Current button variants: primary (blue), secondary (white with border), ghost (transparent)"
  5. 5Paste the prompt into your preferred AI tool, like ChatGPT or Claude (with vision for screenshots)
  6. 6Review documentation: Check completeness of all sections
  7. 7Add code examples: Insert actual code snippets from your codebase
  8. 8Publish: Add to your documentation site (Storybook, Zeroheight, Notion, etc.)

Pro Tips

  • Include screenshots: Upload component screenshots for AI to analyze variants and states
  • Document the "why": Don't just show what the component looks like, explain when and why to use it
  • Use real examples: Include real product examples, not just isolated component demos
  • Keep it updated: Revisit documentation when components change
  • Make it searchable: Use clear headings and keywords for easy discovery
  • Show don'ts: Bad examples are often more helpful than good examples
  • Link everything: Cross-reference related components and design tokens

Tags

design-systemdocumentationcomponent-libraryguidelinesdesign-ops

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