Handing Off Isn’t Just for Developers

You wrapped up the design. Everything’s polished. The Figma file is neat, layered, and labeled. You hand it off to the dev team.

Done, right?

Not quite.

The best handoffs go beyond pixels. They communicate intent—not just layout.

When only the designer knows why something was built a certain way, that context gets lost fast. And the moment someone on the team has to ask, “Wait, what’s this screen for again?”—you’ve already lost time.

Let’s be honest:
A clean file doesn’t mean a clean handoff.

So what does?

• Explain the user goal. What’s the outcome this screen supports?

• Highlight edge cases. What happens when there’s no data? Too much data?

• Clarify logic. Is that button always visible? Or only after onboarding?

• Cover content. Has copy been approved? Does it match the tone? Does marketing even know what’s launching?

Add notes. Record a quick Loom walkthrough. Write a few bullets. It doesn’t need to be heavy. Just clear.

Because devs aren’t the only ones affected by your design.

PMs, marketers, content folks, support—all of them interact with your work. Your handoff needs to include them too.

A good handoff isn’t just functional. It’s generous.
It says: “Here’s what I made—and here’s everything you need to understand it.”

And that kind of clarity?
It saves you hours later.