Design-to-development handoff

A digital product creation workflow is going to include a lot of communication. Anything that impedes communication between designers and developers is going to be a hurdle. Not understanding exact dimensions or what the designs are trying to do may lead to friction, rework, and slowdown.

A good workflow starts early with wireframes—the framework—where high-level ideas get rolling.

Share early and often.

Designs spin through multiple iterations with stakeholders. You, as a developer, can join in to offer feedback on the designs. The closer it gets to the final handoff, that’s when communication should tighten.

It’s important to share why you may not like a certain part of the design or what known limitations exist. The more often developers and designers cross paths, the easier it will be to translate mockups into live code.

Reduce knowledge gaps between parties.

By increasing interaction, you are increasing knowledge sharing and building trust. When both developers and designers are encouraged to share, it also minimizes misunderstanding and helps to streamline and synthesize shared processes. The quicker problems are found, the quicker they are fixed, the quicker you ship.