Design systems fundamentally protect against knowledge loss. Faithful documentation is the unsung hero of these efforts.
When introducing folks to Sequoia, I often refer to our documentation as the "welcome mat" of our design infrastructure. It serves as a user manual that explains the why and how of our design vocabulary.
The design documentation—comprising over 100 pages of text and visual assets—includes component usage guidelines, design foundations, and UX pattern best practices. Initially hosted on Zeroheight, we later migrated to Notion for added flexibility and proximity to our operations. It remains an indispensable tool—enabling self-service and maintaining consistency.
Notion's flexibility allows us to display component documentation in various way. For example, a front-facing gallery view for users, and a secondary status list for the DS team.
The documentation aims to answer common questions, while leaving the door open for new and shifting perspectives.