ACTV8me Documentation

A dynamic documentation platform for a global team

I created a documentation experience platform to support ACTV8me’s technology, content team, and developer contributors. My goal was to make contributions open, simple, and inviting.

Role:

Front-end Development / Design System

Doc Democratization

Overview

A documentation system enabling broader collaboration.

To support a growing developer ecosystem, I designed and maintained platforms that made technical resources clear, contributions simple, and updates scalable. I wanted everyone on the team to be able to contribute without requiring any development from me or others who worked on the web systems.

Tasked with creating a doc site, I was initially presented with a WordPress build that the team had at some point earlier, but it didn't support the flexibility I needed with the resources I had. Needing a way to freely customize the visual side and reduce DevOps requirements, I opted for a Vue.js (I had been reading a lot of Sarah Drasner around the time and had been thinking about it) build that used Markdown as the main publishing format.

This relatively low-friction and flexible approach afforded me to use elements of my design system, helping my overall mission of unifying the company's digital presence. I wanted everything wrapped in the brand so we'd appear as strong as possible to partners (current or potential) as well as our growing external team.

A view of documentation in Markdown with styles on the right.

Collaboration & Workflow

A New Process

I shifted documentation from email chains, Slack messages and lengthy in-person sessions to a contributor-first system powered by GitHub.

This approach allowed our content team and developers to submit updates directly, with the core team reviewing and publishing changes. The system encouraged collaboration, reduced friction, and gave everyone a voice in shaping the documentation.

A variety of common scratcher designs and edge cases.

Building with Investment

Modern Framework

I built a modern Vue.js, company-branded platform ready to evolve.

I style the platform with ACTV8me’s visual brand system I'd designed. It drew from my core design system. The primary content process used Markdown, making it friendly for non-developers while remaining flexible enough for more technical contributions and updates . This balance kept the documentation approachable and future-proof. Soon, even the content team was contributing to the documentation process.

A view of documentation on the User side.

Branded & Easy to Update

Unifed & Accessible

Painted in the visual language, the docs reflected the other ACTV8me experiences.

The documentation system was visually aligned with the company design language and built for quick updates, ensuring accuracy without lengthy email chains or in-person sessions. This balance of polish and practicality kept the platform both professional and approachable.

A view demonstrating the various content types the documentation platform supported.

Core Enhancements

Contribute, Document & Share

Democratized documentation that worked for both developers and non-developers.

The final system included an Angular SDK site for iOS and Android integration powered by Doxygen that I styled, updated, and maintained as well as the new Vue.js platform. Together, they improved developer communication, streamlined updates, and created a sustainable foundation for ACTV8me’s content team and developers.

Outcomes

Deliverables

I created a scalable, branded documentation system ready for growth.

The project ultimately stacked onto what we had and now produced two platforms that created a complementary system that everyone could contribute to. The documentation site was used during some of our crucial partnerships including AMC and GSTV among others.

True Value

What I learned

It's alright to think outside the box press.

I was initially given an old WordPress instance that we had because "it was there" and I could've easily used it to spin up the documentation site and call it a day, but it would've been a poorer experience with less flexibility to achieve the visual and team cohesion I was aiming for. I opted to think strategically and holistically, considering our technical capabilities, team composition and partnership acquisition strategy and so decided to use Vue.js powered by Markdown and a simple GitHub publishing workflow.

It certainly wasn't the easy initial WordPress idea, but it provided a much better experience for everyone involved and broke the chance of siloing.

Contact Me

Need a considerate flexible digital solution?

Use my form, send me an email at hello@johnhansen.design or schedule a call.

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