Use this checklist to record why a design decision was made, which research informed it, what alternatives were considered and how the choice can be reviewed. Keep the decision trail useful to the whole team.
checklist: Documenting Design Decisions
UX Documentation · Design & coordination
version 1.1
Clarify reason for decision and goal
e.g. user feedback, heuristic violation, technical requirement
e.g. better visibility, lower cognitive load
e.g. start page, navigation bar, form field
e.g. UX, UI, Dev, PM
e.g. sprint, project phase, time pressure, stakeholder specification
Making the basis for decision-making visible
e.g. from usability tests, analytics, interviews
e.g. visibility of the system status, fault tolerance
e.g. variants A/B/C with advantages and disadvantages
e.g. 'Variant A was preferred because...'
e.g. comparison old/new, prototype link, screenshot
Ensuring traceability and connection
e.g. in Figma, Confluence, Git or PDF
e.g. Jira ID, Github issue
e.g. in the Review, Slack, Weekly
For later discussions or audits
e.g. 'Evaluate after release X'
Last modified: 1 November 2026