5 Tips to Improve Designer-Developer Collaboration in Small Teams
Summary: Boost collaboration between designers and developers by promoting open communication and clear project requirements.
One thing is sure when creating digital products: the success of a project depends on collaboration between designers and developers.
Poor communication generates friction and misunderstandings between designers and developers, which leads to rework, stress, and bad relationships within the team.
For over 10 years, I've worked as a designer in close collaboration with developers, which has allowed me to understand them from various perspectives.
During my first year as an interface designer, I struggled to communicate with developers and realized that most of the problems were caused by the fact that we didn’t speak the same language. A couple of years later, I learned how to code, and everything became much clearer. Suddenly, a lot of the “communication” needed was happening inside my head.
Fast forward a few more years, I found myself back in this dilemma, where within my team, designers and developers are often lost in translation. In many situations, with my team, I still play this “translator” role, but there are many methodologies and techniques we can use to minimize these issues.
That's why I've decided to share some tips I've learned to improve the relationship and communication between designers and developers.
I am convinced that you will find these tips helpful and will be able to implement them in your daily operations.
1 - Keep the team together from the start
Designers and developers should be involved right from the start of the project creation process.
The main goal here is to make sure all team members have as much context as possible about the project. Understand well why the project exists and what are the core objectives and requirements.
Understanding what a piece of software should do is more important than any list of requirements.
This will help them get feedback and mutual support, as well as identify and resolve any issues or gaps before they become bigger problems.
For example, designers can invite developers to participate in research, ideation, and user testing sessions, while developers can share their technical limitations, challenges, and suggestions with designers.
By building a relationship of respect and trust in each other's skills, designers and developers can foster a culture of positive and productive collaboration and communication.
2 - Prioritize open communication
As a designer, you focus on creating outstanding interfaces and experiences. As a developer, you focus on making sure your code works and that nothing breaks.
And even though everyone has a specific role, all team members should be familiar with the users, the product, and its purpose.
Knowledge of all aspects of the project must come from open communication between the teams.
Open communication is an absolute necessity for quality collaboration. No project can thrive without it. It saves time and money and speeds up most work processes.
Without open communication, designers and developers are likely to get frustrated, repeat unnecessary work, and waste time on unproductive tasks.
To ensure open communication:
Establish effective communication channels
Hold regular meetings
Make sure that everyone involved in the project understands the goals, expectations, and requirements
This way, you avoid confusion and keep the team aligned with the project's goals.
3 - Use collaboration tools
Investing in collaboration tools between developers and designers is one of the easiest ways to improve collaboration.
Communication channels such as Slack, for example, are precious. No time is wasted on endless email conversations, as all the information and comments will be located in a single environment.
Sharing access to design files in Figma with their developers, for example, helps to identify potential problems early on and prevents clients from holding on to ideas that will need to be changed later.
It also prevents something very common in designers' lives from happening:
Figma has become the main interface design software for many reasons. Besides being a good design software, they invested a lot in handover features, which make this communication much better, organizing the deliverables.
When making the handover, all information and deliverables must be organized and well explained to the developer. Schedule a handover meeting to explain the details and answer any questions.
Synchronous vs Asynchronous Communication
We can use collaboration tools for remote team communication in two ways: synchronous and asynchronous.
Synchronous communication takes place in real-time and usually expects an immediate response, as in meetings, for example. It also includes live chat, like Slack, for example.
Asynchronous communication happens "out of sync"; it doesn't happen in real time, and participants can send a response whenever they want. Asynchronous communication happens in tools such as Notion, Jira, and email.
The most important aspect of async communication is context since questions and the back and forth are much slower. Without proper context, an async discussion could take days instead of a single message.
Loom, for example, is a tool for recording asynchronous messages to improve communication asynchronously. It uses video, audio, and screen recording to make communication more effective by adding more context to it.
Knowing how and when to use this type of communication improves your team's productivity and collaboration between designers and developers. Look for a combined approach that responds to the needs of the team and the projects.
4 - Provide comprehensive documentation
Having comprehensive, well-organized documentation with all the project information is essential for teams to consult. One of my favorite tools for creating documentation is Notion. It helps keep documentation centralized and accessible to designers and developers.1
Remember to maintain clear communication so that there are no misunderstandings during the construction of the project. Both designers and developers should use direct and concise language to understand each other.
Avoid technical jargon that is specific to your area; your colleague doesn't need to know or understand it. Using the same terminology saves time, eliminates confusion, and increases credibility with your team. Keep it simple.
5 - Encourage continuous feedback
Encouraging the practice of continuous feedback promotes a cycle of improvement and ensures that designers and collaborators are on the same page throughout the project development process.
Again, Figma has great features to help with feedback on design files, while Website Annotation Tools, such as Markup.io, can help with coded feedback and Design Reviews.
Remember that feedback should be given and received constructively, based on unbiased facts and not personal preferences. Constructive feedback is directly related to the project's objectives.
For example, "I don't like the color of that button; it doesn't look right" is superficial and personal feedback. The person doesn't explain the reason behind the comment, which can leave the designer confused.
On the other hand, feedback such as “I noticed that something doesn't look right with the button. I suggest reviewing the color and size to make sure it matches the rest of the interface" is solution-oriented and improves the experience and usability of the project.
This constant exchange of information helps to avoid future problems and allows the project to evolve iteratively.
Conclusion
Designers must be able to work well with developers. Without a collaborative relationship, the whole project will suffer.
To facilitate teamwork, prioritize open communication through collaboration tools and ensure that teams regularly collect feedback from each other.
Make sure the whole team understands the project's goals. Have well-organized documentation with all the necessary information and keep the team involved from the start to understand all the phases of the project.
Without this working relationship, workflows will be impeded, and tasks will constantly be passed back and forth. Following these tips will improve not only the collaboration between designers and developers but also the result of your project.
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Remember that this is the internal documentation for building the project, not the product documentation itself.