The key to aligning UX designers and developers for mobile design success lies in fostering open communication, shared understanding, and collaborative problem-solving. Regular communication channels, such as design reviews, code reviews, and daily stand-ups, help bridge the gap between design and development. Additionally, using design tools that facilitate collaboration, like Figma or Sketch, and adhering to consistent design guidelines and style guides can streamline the process and ensure consistency.

I tell them it’s like a buddy cop movie. Designers bring the big ideas, developers bring the logic and together they chase down bugs and bad user flows. If tensions rise, I remind them that users don’t care whose fault it is, they just want their buttons clickable and their layouts pretty!

I think the key is for each discipline to respect what the other is best at. This doesn’t mean everyone has to “stay in their lane” all the time, but it does mean that each discipline should have the final say on decisions they are best equipped to decide. Next, the goal should be shared by all and clear to everyone. When goals are unclear, it’s very easy to have different interpretations. Finally, development is an Art in itself and being pixel perfect from a design, while possible, is not always required… as long as the spirit of the design is captured, and it’s easy to use, there may be very good reasons for straying from an ideal to meet what’s practical.