[FEEDBACK] Unified design system repo and documentation

Over the past few months, we've completed a major unification of GitLab's design system infrastructure and documentation. Here's what's been accomplished:

• Repository unification, merged GitLab UI into design.gitlab.com.
• Changesets workflow, replacing semantic commits with changesets for better release management and changelogs.
• Moved 50+ component docs from Storybook into design.gitlab.com pages
• Implemented a unified component page design which now includes developer documentation alongside design guidance

This issue serves as a central place to collect feedback from GitLab team members.

What we're looking for

Repository Unification Experience

• Monorepo workflow: How has the unified GitLab UI + design.gitlab.com repository affected your development workflow?
• Build and release process: Have you noticed improvements or issues with the new changesets-based release workflow?
• Local development: How is the yarn start:full experience for viewing components with live Storybook embeds?

Storybook Migration Impact

• Component discovery: Can you find component documentation and examples more easily now that they're unified in design.gitlab.com?
• Interactive examples: How do the embedded Storybook examples compare to the previous separate Storybook site?
• Content completeness: Are there gaps where Storybook content hasn't been fully migrated or is missing?
• Dark mode experience: How well do the embedded examples work with dark mode switching?

Unified Component Page Structure

• Page navigation: How useful is the floating table of contents on component pages?
• Information architecture: Is the balance between design guidance and code examples working for your role?
• Content organization: Can you easily find what you need within the new component page structure?
• Live examples vs documentation: Do the embedded interactive examples provide enough context, or do you need additional static documentation?

Development and Contribution Workflow

• Contributing to components: Has the unified repository made it easier or harder to contribute component changes?
• Documentation updates: How is the experience of updating component documentation in the new structure?
• Cross-team collaboration: How has the change affected collaboration between design and engineering teams?
• Migration pain points: What specific challenges have you encountered during the transition?

Future Improvements

• Missing functionality: What features from the old separate repositories do you miss most?
• Component explorer needs: What additional interactive features would be most valuable for component exploration?
• Search and discoverability: How could we improve finding components and patterns across the unified system?

How to provide feedback

Please comment below with your experiences, both positive and negative. Your input will help us identify areas for improvement and ensure the unified design system serves the GitLab community effectively.

Specific areas where feedback would be especially valuable:

• Component implementation workflow changes
• Documentation discoverability and completeness
• Local development experience with the unified repository
• Any functionality gaps compared to the previous setup

Related to epic: &11472