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Phase 3
Handoff Best Practices to Engineering
Why Handoff Matters
Even the most thoughtful design loses value if engineers can’t interpret it. A great handoff is organized, detailed, collaborative, and consistent—so teams ship faster with fewer misses.
Core Practices for Effective Handoff
Organize Files Clearly
Create a 'Ready for Dev' area, standardize page names, and remove exploration noise.
Communicate Flows & Use Cases
Include happy paths, edge cases, and annotated interactions for each step.
Provide Assets & Specs
Export or link icons/images; surface tokens (colors, type, spacing) and component props.
Leverage Components & Styles
Use your design system; name layers and variants in developer-friendly terms.
Capture States
Show hover/pressed/disabled/error/loading states and empty/blank/exception scenarios.
Collaborate Early
Invite engineers into files during exploration; align on feasibility and constraints.
Handoff Checklist
Is the file organized and labeled for clarity?
Are happy and unhappy paths covered with annotations?
Are assets, components, and tokens linked or documented?
Are all interactive and error states shown?
Have engineers reviewed and asked questions?
Key Takeaway
Successful handoff is preparation + communication. Organize, document, and involve engineering early so ideas translate into working software smoothly. It’s not a throw-over-the-wall—it's a handshake.