Finalize and submit Critical Information component docs

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User Story

As a design system contributor,
I want to finalize and submit the Critical Information component documentation,
So that teams using the VA Design System have clear guidance on how to implement and use this component effectively.

Background

The Critical Information component is designed to surface urgent, high-priority information for Veterans in a concise, accessible, and actionable format. To ensure consistency and usability across VA digital products, the component must be fully documented in the VA Design System (VADS).

This task involves:

• Finalizing the VADS documentation draft based on internal reviews.
• Ensuring alignment with VADS standards (design tokens, spacing, accessibility).
• Completing Storybook integration and adding example implementations.
• Submitting the documentation for formal VADS review and approval.

By completing this work, we enable Veteran-facing services (VFS) teams to confidently adopt the component, ensuring a standardized, high-quality user experience across VA.gov.

Discovery Goals

• Ensure all feedback from UX, engineering, and accessibility teams is incorporated.
• Confirm that documentation is clear, concise, and aligned with VADS formatting.
• Validate that example code snippets accurately reflect implementation best practices.
• Ensure that accessibility guidance meets WCAG 2.2 and Section 508 compliance.

Questions to Answer

• Have all design and engineering considerations been addressed?
• Are the example use cases comprehensive enough for different VA applications?
• Is the component flexible for different implementations (e.g., standalone, inline with Service List Items)?
• Has all necessary metadata been added for proper navigation in VADS?

Resources

• Drafted VADS documentation for the Critical Information component.
• Finalized Figma designs and interaction specs.
• Existing VADS components for reference (e.g., alerts, notifications).
• Accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.2, Section 508).
• Storybook component implementation.

Deliverables

• PR with Finalized VADS documentation including:
  • Clear purpose and use cases for the component.
  • Detailed implementation guidelines for developers.
  • Content best practices for UX consistency.
  • Accessibility recommendations (ARIA roles, focus behavior).
  • Example code snippets demonstrating different usage scenarios.
• Updated Storybook component with:
  • Interactive examples.
  • Component variations and states.
• Submission to the VA Design System Team for review and approval.

Acceptance Criteria

• All internal feedback has been addressed and incorporated.
• Documentation is formatted correctly and follows VADS standards.
• Example code snippets are complete and reflect real-world use cases.
• The Storybook component has been finalized and updated.
• Documentation has been submitted for VADS review and approval.

Constraints & Considerations

• The component must be flexible across different authenticated experiences.
• Avoid redundancy with existing alert and notification patterns.
• Ensure content guidance provides clear do’s and don’ts for effective use.
• Testing should confirm alignment with mobile and desktop designs.

Review Needed By

• VA Design System Team
• Product Manager
• UX Research Team
• Engineering Team

Definition of Done

• Documentation has been updated, if applicable.
• Acceptance Criteria in related issue are met.
• Reviewers have approved.