Lesson 3: Use Version Control

Every design has a story, countless iterations behind the scenes. Designers keep updating their designs before and after they’re implemented. The rest of your team may get lost within these changes and may not know which version to use.

Commit messages communicate what has been changed in the previous version and can be found on the left-hand panel of your screen. This differs from notes, which are casual descriptions for your team and can be found by navigating over a UI element on your screen.

Now, everyone can follow along on the evolution of the design in one place.

Here are some guidelines on writing helpful commit messages so that your team quickly understands your changes:

• Stick to one style:​ Use the “imperative mood” for simplicity. e.g. change, not changing, remove, not removed.
• Be precise:​ Provide specific information so your colleagues can easily figure out what to look out for.
• Keep it simple:​ If you feel like you need to explain something in detail, it’s best to use the screen description section on the right panel.

Here are some examples: