Documentation in Design - Gurukul School of Design Jaipur - GSD

1. Documentation in Design gurukulschoolofdesign.com/blog/documentation-in-design It is a common belief that design projects thrive in the chaos of creativity. Although there is some truth to the statement, creative chaos can only flourish when a system of organisation is involved. In the grand study of design, project documentation acts as a core style guide 1/2

2. for all designers to follow. From a designer's point of view, clean project documentation and rigid maintenance is king thanks to its ability to help identify patterns and design paths. What is effective documentation? According to experts and designers in the field, design documentation is comprised of multiple sources of input that is then assembled to form a coherent narrative. An effective design doc is said to accurately relay information and issues that arise when a product or feature is being built. Likewise, as it reflects the broad overall picture in detail, it becomes a crucial catalyst for all team members to have a clearer perspective of the design path that is being adopted. Ultimately becoming an essential aspect that constructively explores the multitudes of variables that come into play. Next, comes the benefits and influence power of documentation. Though it may come as a surprise to many, documentation and documenting is actually an incredibly useful tool as it aids in cognitive comprehension. A meticulously written design doc is able to lay out the exact issues and why it exists, correspond research and analytics to real-life findings, outline the overall and specific goals while also laying down a solid foundation for the design team to refer to. In addition to that, a well-written design doc (especially shared design docs) will also inherently encourage clarity and constant reflection. In today's ever-changing digital landscape and scope of work, documentation is especially useful as it gathers all information in a central location to be accessed and viewed holistically. Think of it as a cloud of storage created by you for your work! What's more, even if or when things do not go according to plan, a good design doc will offer a comprehensive history of your work and subsequent changes. Which means that you'll never lose track of your progress while fundamentally improving your work with crystal-clear context. 2/2