![]() ![]() It makes sense for an architect to know statics, restrictions and any potential issues before they begin their design, right? Similarly, therefore, a designer must understand what restrictions there are in coding that might impact their vision. In short, a designer should at minimum know the basics of front-end coding. The initial step towards resolving issues is arming oneself with the right knowledge. So it follows that we designers and engineers need to have that process defined too. Just like when an architect designs a building, it is he who creates the vision, but it is the construction workers who bring that vision from paper to life. This kind of problem requires a systematization, which means each part of the process should be defined in detail. The best approach is to ensure clarity and to manage expectations during every step of the process. Generally, there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach for designer-engineer communication. ![]() An engineer’s primary goal is generally to “make it work.” They don’t have the capacity or sensitivity to spend too much time or focus on small pixels and alignments that are invisible to the average person’s eyes. When designers hand over their work, it can be challenging for engineers to pick up on the small pixels, the tiniest of tweaks that we designers are sensitive to. For anyone that understands coding, observing a good piece of HTML or CSS code is a privilege, it’s no wonder they say, “code is poetry.” ![]() The reality is, however, that engineers are masters of their specialty, and conquering code takes huge amounts of energy, dedication, and focus. At best, a person might think what’s in front of them is a bunch of hacking code. For someone who doesn’t know anything about development, code can appear both complex and nonsensical. Never has a truer word been spoken, engineers are masters of the new era poetry. If designers are the artists, then engineers are poets, just like Wordpress says: They are under constant pressure to deliver slicker, smarter solutions to tight deadlines in the highest possible quality. ![]() They are meticulous and hard-working folks always looking for smart ways to solve problems and are forever determined to discover new ideas, refine their processes, and make even more significant improvements. So why does this happen?Įngineers (developers) are a special kind of people. You did everything right, even down to sharing that inspect mode link with all the CSS. So, you shared the Figma link, Sketch file, Zeplin, Invision, and Avocode, and delivered a comprehensive style guide containing all UI elements and all possible states. So why is there such a gulf between what you delivered and the final result? Unfortunately, what it comes down to is that your vision and carefully planned design simply doesn’t align with the engineer’s implementation. Instead of praise for your excellent work, everyone seems disappointed, and sure enough, when you take a look - your design not only looks unimpressive, it’s also super clunky to use. Then, after a couple of months when development has reached completion, the feedback you get is totally unexpected. You create a functional UX, a beautiful UI, and the client is excited. We’re all familiar with that never-ending battle or rather, the Cold War between engineers and designers. ![]()
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