Style Guides

A style guide is a set of standards for the design of the system being created. Its job is to provide uniformity in style, formatting and layout for the entire development.

It sets the standards or baselines for all the components of the system focusing on the system’s visual and technical aspects, along with text to ensure that consistency is maintained. All style guides should be fluid, revised regularly to document changes in conventions and usage caused by changing user requirements and development practicalities.

It’s important to remember though that this is a two way process and changes in the document that affect the system should also be complimented by changes in the development process that effect the document.

Together with the functional specification the style guide should provide the criteria by which the final system is bug-tested before UAT.

If you wish to see a simple draft style guide I’ve produced in the past you I’ve produced one you can download here.

© Bob Powell