How can I write a great design doc?

Question

I've been asked to write a design doc for my project; Samsara even has a structure to follow for these. After I understand how the overall system works, I will tackle. I want to make sure that there's a strong storytelling element in my doc, avoiding as much jargon as possible.

Alex Chiou · Accepted Answer

Keep it short: 2-3 pages should be fine. The bar shouldn't be too high for an intern - Don't let this doc meta-work distract you from the core intern goal of building strong coding ability. Be concise. Use simple language and ELI5 style explanations where you can. Overall structure:   Context/motivation (including a list of POCs)   Proposed technical approach (with pros and cons)   Consensus reached  If you want to see a real-life, in-depth example of this, check out my System Design course: System Design Masterclass: Taro Playlists

How can I write a great design doc?

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