What is the ideal workflow between the design and frontend team when you have tight deadlines?

I’m sharing this short story to outline a workflow I experienced and invite you to share your thoughts on this fundamental topic.

The last project I worked on (an e-commerce platform) took 5 weeks to complete the design and development phase.

After receiving the brief, the design and dev teams immediately met to align on the project. They discussed technical constraints and how to deliver the first layout for client approval.

The design team presented the layout using Figma's prototype preview, which allowed the client to experience the site with interactions and simulations. The client approved the design, and the team moved on to finalize their work.

When development started, the dev team encountered significant issues:

• The Figma file was unorganized, with layouts scattered.
• There were no components, variables, or hover states.
• The only way to understand behaviors was through presentation mode.

In the rush to meet deadlines, the design team prioritized the client experience but overlooked the needs of the developers. The work was completed in time but this led to inefficiencies and frustration during the development phase.

Why This Matters

In order to maintain a healthy work environment and ensure seamless collaboration between design and development, what can be done?

Let's Discuss

Has something similar happened to you? Share your thoughts and ideas to help avoid these situations and improve team workflows!