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Design Handoff Tips,

Make Developers Understand You!

When the design designed by the UX designer is complete and the prototype has been tested, usually the design will be handed over to the Developer to be implemented into a programming language. This process is often called design handoff.Unfortunately, the design handoff process is not as easy as imagined. Not infrequently, both designers and developers do not understand each other, have different perceptions, and misinterpretations. This is certainly because designers do not really understand coding, just as developers do not know much about the design process. As a result, a lot of time is wasted and the work becomes more complicated.As a UX designer, handing over the design to the developer in a good and correct way can make time more effective and prevent the worst possibilities from happening. So, how do you do it? Here are some easy tips for you to apply when designing a design handoff!

Communication is the key!

Collaboration between designers and developers plays an important role in the sustainability of the project. Handoff preparation should be done early before the entire design process begins. Here, communication is the key. Before starting, make sure both the designer and developer are aligned and in tune. You can discuss with the developer starting from discussing technical matters related to workflow, guidelines, tools to be used, file categorization, to the use of terms in the product and naming on the screen.

Making a Checklist

Another most important part during the project and before doing the design handoff is to make a checklist! This is done to avoid designs that are unknowingly missed or forgotten. If that happens, it could be serious!Well, the solution to prevent this from happening is that designers and developers are advised to make a checklist together. The goal is so that you and the developer both know what needs to be handed off and how far each other’s progress is. There are several work tools that you can use to make a checklist, such as Trello, Clickup, and others.

Consistent in naming

From various aspects and principles related to the design system, naming is one of the important and fundamental elements. Good naming will help developers navigate files and prevent duplication. Speaking of naming, there are several things you need to pay attention to:

  • Agree on the use of terms/names with developers and create naming standards
  • Use consistent product, file, and screen terms/names
  • The naming of each screen must explain its function, such as “Home Screen.png” not “Home Screen new2.png”
  • Make sure that you use consistent text case for all screens, namely sentence case, lowercase, or title case
  • Don’t let it just flow

Creating a flow is not just about uniting screen by screen. Create a flow that is like a flow map of all screens that are as logical as possible and related to each other. You must ensure that the flow created is an interactive prototype and can be clearly understood by developers.If necessary, also add some comments/notes for developers on several static screens — because not all screens are high-fi prototypes. This will make it easier for developers to implement it into code.

  • UX copy documentation

Not only design, you also have to make sure that all copy in your design has also been documented. This will save the developer time to copy all the copies in the design. In connection with that, you can move all the copies into one deck using Paper by Dropbox or Google Sheet.

  • Organizing assets and specifications

Count ourselves lucky because now there are many tools available and you can use them for design handoff, such as Figma, Zeplin, Adobe XD, and so on. These tools can make it easier for you in design handoff. You don’t need to spend a lot of time setting the specifications, sizes, and style guides in your design because let the tools work automatically for you!So, here you just have to organize your design assets, be it images, icons, and fonts in one directory neatly and orderly. When you submit the specifications to the developer, don’t forget to tell them about the grid system you are using in your design. Again, this will also be very helpful for the developer!

  • Real-time collaboration and iteration

Similar to a relay race, the runner must ensure that the baton he is carrying has really reached the hands of the next runner safely. Likewise with design handoff, in order for this process to run smoothly and peacefully, synchronization between UX designers and developers here is very crucial.

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