What do design documents primarily outline in software development?

Design documents in software development primarily serve to provide a comprehensive overview of the project's general requirements and its intended purpose. They set the framework for how the software will be structured and how it is expected to achieve its goals.

This includes detailing the functionality that the software must provide, the resources required for development, and the constraints within which the project must operate. By establishing these requirements and purposes early on, design documents facilitate clear communication among stakeholders, ensuring that everyone involved has a shared understanding of the project’s objectives.

The other options represent aspects that can be important but do not capture the primary role of design documents. Detailed descriptions of user interfaces are often part of design specifications but are more focused and the user interface aspects can be developed as part of the design process alongside requirements. Specific coding techniques and algorithms are typically reserved for implementation documentation rather than high-level design. While timeframes are critical for managing the project, they are usually outlined in project management documents rather than design documents, which focus more on what the software should achieve overall.