Best Practices for Design Token Documentation

Introduction

Design tokens are the visual design atoms of the product UI. They store design decisions such as colors, typography, spacing, etc., in a way that can be easily shared and utilized across platforms.

What are Design Tokens?

Design tokens are a set of variables that represent design decisions, allowing for consistency and scalability in design systems. They are typically stored in JSON, YAML, or similar formats.

{
  "color": {
    "primary": "#007bff",
    "secondary": "#6c757d"
  },
  "spacing": {
    "small": "8px",
    "medium": "16px",
    "large": "24px"
  }
}

Importance of Documentation

Effective documentation of design tokens ensures that all team members, including designers and developers, understand how to apply these tokens consistently across products.

Best Practices

1. Use Clear Naming Conventions: Adopt a consistent naming strategy that reflects the purpose of each token.
2. Organize Tokens Logically: Group tokens by categories such as color, typography, and spacing.
3. Include Usage Examples: Provide visual examples demonstrating how tokens apply in real UI components.
4. Version Control: Maintain a version control system for design tokens to track changes over time.
5. Accessibility Considerations: Document accessibility standards and ensure tokens meet these standards.

FAQ

Flowchart of Design Token Documentation Process

graph TD;
            A[Start] --> B[Define Design Tokens];
            B --> C[Document Tokens];
            C --> D[Version Control];
            D --> E[Review and Update];
            E --> F[End];