Designers and Developers Together: Orchestrating a Harmonious Handoff

We’ve all either heard of or experienced some of the problems that can happen when designers and developers struggle to collaborate on a project: timelines can slip, revisions can multiply, frustrations can grow. What’s the difference between a project delivered on time, on budget, and with minimal client back-and-forth and one that… isn’t?

Designer-turned-project manager Chris Ford has found herself on both sides of the equation. As an agency and freelance designer she’s provided wireframes, prototypes and comps for hundreds of websites built by other developers. As a project manager at Reaktiv, a WordPress.com VIP partner, she works closely with their clients’ in-house designers and design agencies implementing their design decisions. She’s seen her share of both wildly successful and satisfying collaborations and with projects that never saw the light of day.

In this talk Chris will reveal how she’s personally combined some of her core beliefs (like mutual respect, clear expectations and a common vocabulary) with immediately actionable tips (like documenting your process and making sure to schedule ample QA time) to help designers and developers work together to build not just better products for our clients, but a better experience.

Transcript