Engineering Partnership
Design is continuous negotiation between ideal and buildable.
My Approach
The best design happens when designers and engineers think together, not in sequence. I've refined practices that eliminate the "throw it over the wall" handoff and build genuine partnership.
Having managed 26+ developers across multiple projects, I understand engineering constraints and speak the language. Design decisions always include technical implications.
Key Practices
Spec Clarity
Component variants defined upfront with engineering constraints. No ambiguity mid-sprint.
Evidence: Fewer clarifying questions during implementation. Design specs include API response shapes and error states.
Design Reviews
Weekly syncs with engineering before handoff. Catch implementation blockers early.
Evidence: 2 months time-to-market improvement. Higher trust between design and engineering teams.
Living Documentation
Specs updated as implementation reveals constraints. Design evolves with technical reality.
Evidence: Documentation stays accurate. Engineers trust specs because they reflect actual decisions.
Tradeoff Tables
Every design decision documented with "why" and engineering implications.
Evidence: vApp case study: Unified app vs. two apps tradeoff-reduced maintenance burden, accepted complex state management.
When Reality Doesn't Match Design
Every designer has shipped something that didn't fully match their vision. How you handle it matters more than preventing it.
Case: vApp Wallet Dashboard
The Situation
The staking dashboard shipped with a simplified token flow visualization. The original design showed animated token paths between stake/unstake states-engineering implemented static icons due to performance constraints on lower-end mobile devices.
How I Handled It
- No blame. Engineering made the right call given constraints I hadn't fully considered.
- Understood the why. Animation on 60fps budget + complex state = legitimate concern.
- Found the middle ground. We added subtle opacity transitions that communicated state change without performance cost.
- Updated the spec. Documented the decision so future designers understand the constraint.
The Takeaway
Design intent isn't about pixel perfection-it's about whether users understand the interface. The simplified version actually tested better because it was clearer. Sometimes engineering constraints reveal design improvements.
The Pattern
This story exemplifies my approach: design intent over pixel perfection. The goal isn't matching mockups-it's serving users. When engineering constraints reveal better solutions, I embrace them. The spec becomes a living document that captures what we learned, not what we assumed.
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