Getting Started Documentation

Getting started documentation guides new users through initial design system setup and first usage. This documentation creates first impressions that significantly impact adoption success. Effective getting started guides reduce time to first successful implementation and prevent early abandonment.

What Is Getting Started Documentation

Getting started documentation provides step-by-step guidance for users new to a design system. This typically covers installation, initial configuration, creating a first implementation, and understanding core concepts. The documentation assumes no prior knowledge of the specific design system while assuming appropriate technical background.

Getting started documentation differs from reference documentation in approach. Reference documentation assumes users know what they want and need details. Getting started documentation guides users who need orientation before they can use reference docs effectively. The documentation teaches approach, not just answers.

How Getting Started Documentation Works

Effective getting started documentation follows progressive disclosure principles. Early sections cover minimum viable setup that gets users to a working state quickly. Later sections introduce additional concepts as users are ready for them. This approach prevents overwhelming new users while providing paths to deeper understanding.

Structure typically includes prerequisites describing what users need before starting, installation instructions for adding the design system to projects, basic usage showing a first component implementation, core concepts explaining fundamental ideas like tokens and components, and next steps pointing to additional learning resources.

Testing getting started documentation with actual new users reveals friction points that experienced team members miss. Watching users follow documentation identifies unclear steps, missing prerequisites, and conceptual gaps.

Key Considerations

• First working example should be achievable within minutes to provide early success
• Prerequisites should be explicit about required knowledge and environment setup
• Multiple getting started paths may serve different user types like designers versus developers
• Testing with actual new users reveals blind spots in documentation

Common Questions

How long should getting started documentation be?

Getting started documentation should be long enough to achieve first success but short enough to maintain engagement. Most effective guides take fifteen to thirty minutes to complete. Longer prerequisites or complex setups may require longer guides, but users should reach a working state within the first section. Linking to detailed documentation rather than including it keeps getting started focused. Separating quick start from comprehensive getting started serves users with different time availability.

How do teams handle getting started for multiple frameworks?

Multi-framework design systems need framework-specific getting started paths. Some teams provide completely separate guides for each framework. Others provide framework-agnostic conceptual introduction followed by framework-specific installation and usage sections. Tabbed content allowing users to select their framework provides compact presentation. The key is ensuring users see relevant information without being confused by irrelevant framework details.

Summary

Getting started documentation guides new users through first setup and implementation. Effective guides use progressive disclosure, achieve early success quickly, and test with actual new users. This documentation significantly impacts adoption by creating positive first experiences with the design system.