Contributing

Help us improve the design system by submitting anything from small fixes and documentation updates to brand-new components. We're a living system, and we can't wait to see what you'll bring to it!

Engineers contribute by building new components, improving existing ones, fixing bugs, or evolving Watson’s API and token structure.

All contributions are collaborative with the Watson team to ensure consistency across products, high quality and maintainability and accessibility compliance.

This page guides you on how to get started, when to contribute, the contribution workflow, tools, and support resources.


Start here

If you think something is missing, unclear, or could be improved, open a ticket in Watson board or though #tech-proj-watson channel. Share the problem you’re facing and the context around it. We’ll help you quickly understand whether the system already supports your need or if a contribution is the right path.

Proposing a contribution

The workflow varies depending on whether you are implementing something new or working on technical improvements independently, but in general terms, follow the steps we share with you at:

CONTRIBUTING.md

 


Need support?

We're here to chat and make contributing smooth, clear, and enjoyable, whether you're a first-time contributor or bringing a complex proposal. 

Drop us a message in #tech-proj-watson, here’s how we can help:

  • Ask questions anytime: Not sure if your idea belongs in Watson? Send us a message, we’ll help you evaluate it quickly.
  • Feature kick-off support: Share your initial problem or early mockups. We’ll help you understand whether the system already supports your needs or whether a contribution makes sense.
  • Pairing sessions (design or engineering): We can walk you through: creating a Figma proposal, understanding tokens usage, setting up the dev environment, preparing a compliant PR, ...

You can also schedule a call with us during our office hours, so we can discuss any issues you wish to share with us in detail.