This project was my first opportunity to collaborate directly with developers (Minnah and Anandini), a pivotal experience that fundamentally improved my design workflow. I quickly realized that the engineering team relied heavily on Figma’s "Dev Mode," which highlighted a gap in how I structured my files. Previously, my designs looked clean on the surface but were internally disorganized—a mismatch that led to significant friction. When developers asked for specific details like padding or exact values, I lacked the technical documentation to provide accurate answers, resulting in inconsistencies in the final build, such as mismatched hex codes, altered typography, and arbitrary shadow values.

To bridge this gap, I committed to mastering Auto Layout and cleaning up my component architecture. By standardizing my design system and proactively communicating these UI standards, I established a shared language with the engineering team. Before when developers asked for padding, I'd make up a random number. This shift significantly improved our handoff process and ensured the final implementation mirrored my original vision far more accurately. While the collaboration wasn't without its challenges, the experience was an invaluable lesson in the importance of technical empathy and clear, consistent communication between design and engineering.