The story of how our design and development team went from misunderstandings to a workflow that runs like clockwork. Spoiler: Figma was the mediator.
I'll be honest: there was a time when Ludmi and Michael wanted to kill each other. Well, not literally, but conversations like "the padding was 24, not 20" or "that's not the colour I chose" were a daily occurrence. Ludmi designed in Figma, exported a PDF, sent it to Michael, and Michael did the best he could with what he received. The result: a game of Chinese whispers where nobody won.
The breaking point was a project where the client sent back the same page 3 times because the styles didn't match the approved design. That's when the three of us (Ludmi, Michael and I) jumped on a video call and said: this needs to be sorted. We can't keep working as if design and development were departments in different companies.
The solution: Figma as the source of truth. Ludmi started structuring everything with auto-layout, components with variants, and a design token system. This isn't just organisation for the sake of it: it's what allows Michael to open Dev Mode, inspect a component, and have direct access to the exact spacing values, colours and typography. Zero interpretation, zero "I think it was like that".
What changed most was the process itself. Before, there was a moment when "design finished and development began": a formal handoff that always created tension. Now we work in parallel. Whilst Ludmi iterates on a screen, Michael is already building the base components. Reviews happen in real time, not at the end of the sprint when it's too late to change anything.
Today the dynamic is completely different. Ludmi designs knowing exactly how it'll be implemented, and Michael develops knowing exactly what Ludmi intended. Juli has also joined the system: when she illustrates icons or graphic elements, she uploads them as Figma components that Michael can use directly. Even Susi takes advantage of the system when she needs mockups for presentation videos.
The most unexpected result: client communication improved massively. We share interactive prototypes directly from Figma. The client navigates, comments inline, and we resolve things without unnecessary meetings. If you're still working with loose files and screenshots, give this approach a go. You don't need a huge team, just structure and a willingness to stop arguing.