Why I Document Every UI Component Immediately

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When building UI libraries, components, or even small reusable elements in an app, documenting them right away is something I’ve learned to treat as essential - not optional.

In this post, I want to share why that matters, what problems it solves, and how I use Storybook to keep UI documentation clear, isolated, and accessible — not just for developers.

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“I’ll write the docs later” - why that doesn’t work

We all know the story: you finish a new component, maybe a Button, and think:

“I’ll add the docs later - I just need to move on for now.”

A week passes. Then another component. Suddenly, the context is gone, you don’t remember what variants were meant to do, or how the props interact. At that point, documenting feels like a chore.

That’s why I always write the docs as I build. It’s part of the development checklist, just like writing unit tests or styling.

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Why UI documentation matters

Here are a few reasons why I believe writing UI docs (and especially using Storybook) is worth the effort:

• Visual source of truth - You get a live showcase of every variant, size, state, and edge case.
• Cross-team clarity - Designers, PMs, QA, and even backend devs can see what components look like and how they behave.
• Reusable testbed - Each story is a clean, isolated sandbox for manual testing, debugging, and prototyping.
• Consistency - You can spot inconsistencies early. If your Card and Modal have different paddings - it’s instantly obvious.
• Better onboarding - New developers see how things work just by browsing the docs.

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How I use Storybook

I use Storybook because it integrates well with modern frameworks (Vue, React, etc.) and encourages this idea of isolated components - rendered outside the app, with mock data and controls.

Here’s a minimal example for a simple Button component:

// Button.tsx
export type ButtonProps = {
  label: string;
  variant?: "primary" | "secondary";
  disabled?: boolean;
};

export const Button = ({ label, variant = "primary", disabled = false }: ButtonProps) => {
  return (
    <button className={`btn ${variant}`} disabled={disabled}>
      {label}
    </button>
  );
};

// Button.stories.tsx
import type { Meta, StoryObj } from "@storybook/react";
import { Button } from "./Button";

const meta: Meta<typeof Button> = {
  component: Button,
  title: "UI/Button",
  tags: ["autodocs"],
  argTypes: {
    variant: { control: "radio", options: ["primary", "secondary"] },
  },
};

export default meta;

type Story = StoryObj<typeof Button>;

export const Primary: Story = {
  args: {
    label: "Click me",
    variant: "primary",
  },
};

export const Secondary: Story = {
  args: {
    label: "Cancel",
    variant: "secondary",
  },
};

export const Disabled: Story = {
  args: {
    label: "Can't touch this",
    disabled: true,
  },
};

With this setup, anyone on the team can:

• Click through different states
• Adjust props using Storybook Controls
• See exactly what will render, even without running the main app

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My final thoughts

Writing UI docs feels like a small task - until you skip it. Then it becomes a big one.

If you want a design system, or even just a consistent UI experience, documenting components early and often is key. It’s not just for others. It’s for you, your future self, and the codebase you’ll have to maintain.

And for me, Storybook is the best way to make that painless.