October 18, 2023

The Blueprint for Seamless Designer-Developer Harmony in early-stage Startups (less than 20 employees)‍

Alright founders, gather around. Let’s talk about the ‘D’ and the ‘D’ in your startup universe - Designers and Developers. 

When these celestial bodies align, magic happens. But when they clash,it's like watching a sitcom where no one’s laughing.

So let’s see what’s the fix:

  1. Divide roles: I’ve seen designers picking up developer’s problems, and vice versa. This happens until you’ve a solid product manager in the team - your goal is to solve problems, and you tend to give them to who you feel like when you are in your early-stages. 

  1. Don’t be the bridge b/w devs and designers for raw and real feedback - chances are you’re the one doing chinese whisper. Let them talk. Don’t micromanage - they’ll fix things better. 

  1. Developers and you should not take user interviews and pass it on - it’s a designers job. Keep it that way!

  1. Have a design system from the very scratch - helps avoid a lot of clashes, and async unnecessary conversations. 


    Can relate to it, and want help? I’ll consult you for free - calendly link is in the first comment