Help staff use your shared design tools

What this means for your practice

Provide complete examples, a clear help contact and a way to request something missing. Judge the library by whether it makes everyday work easier and more consistent, rather than by the number of items published.

A practical example

For example, an editor creating a service enquiry page should be able to find an example with clear instructions and adapt it to the service. Ask a new colleague to try that task using only the library. Note missing information and awkward steps, then improve the guidance or the available elements. A good result is useful reuse that saves effort and maintains meaning, with a manageable way for the shared collection to evolve as the practice's work changes.

Review repeated workarounds with the people creating them. They may reveal a missing example, an unsuitable layout or an unanswered content question. Improving that specific gap is more useful than issuing another reminder to use the library without understanding why it is being avoided.

Make the design useful in everyday work

Give staff complete examples they can adapt for common tasks, with short instructions explaining why each part is present. Ask a new editor to create a fictional page using only the library and record where they need help. Distinguish missing guidance from a genuinely missing layout or feature. A clear request route lets the collection evolve without every team creating a separate version. Review repeated workarounds with their authors before sending another reminder to use approved tools. Adoption is useful when it saves effort and preserves meaning in ordinary work, not merely when staff can locate the catalogue.

How to check the result

Review repeated workarounds and requests for missing help or reusable elements.