In this insightful essay, the author breaks down the art of writing a solid design document—a technical report that outlines a system’s implementation strategy much like a mathematical proof validates a theorem. The document not only serves to convince others that the design is optimal but also helps the author refine their own thinking through careful writing and editing. Emphasizing clarity over cleverness, the piece offers practical advice drawn from real-world experience, especially from the unique doc-writing culture at AWS. As the author puts it, "the goal of a design document is to convince the reader the design is optimal given the situation." The tips provided range from maintaining coherent organization (think bullet list style, one idea per paragraph) to rigorous editing aimed at cutting excess words and reducing complexity, all with the ultimate aim of guiding every reader to a clear understanding of the design.

Key Points:

• Definition and Purpose: A design document outlines implementation strategies while evaluating trade-offs and constraints to demonstrate that a design is optimal.
• Convincing Through Clarity: The document should lead the reader, step by step, from their current understanding to fully embracing your design, similar to how a proof confirms a theorem.
• Organizational Structure: Use short paragraphs or bullet point-style sections where each block contains one idea, making the document as streamlined as well-organized code.
• Editing for Brevity: Focus on removing superfluous words—aiming for nearly a 30% reduction from your first draft—to respect the reader’s attention span.
• Learning Through Practice: Embrace volume and repetition; the author highlights experience at AWS, where multiple doc iterations refined the craft of writing concise and effective documents.
• Practical Tips: Include an appendix for detailed calculations or simulations, so the main body remains clear, and always anticipate and preempt potential objections from your readers.
• Worked Example: The author demonstrates how to condense lengthy paragraphs into succinct ones without losing essential information, sharpening the overall narrative.

Happy writing and remember—a clear design document can make even the most complex ideas accessible to everyone listening!
Link to Article