Deliver design files to the developer

While it is common to pass designs to developers after reaching a significant project milestone, you can consider implementing these steps earlier in the design process to enhance file organization and streamline the handoff.

Set up files for collaboration

There are many different ways of collaboration between designers and developers. Here are some tips that have been practiced in design and developer teams for your reference.

Files and pages

• Right-click any frame and select Set as thumbnail to make other collaborators identify the file easily. The current status of the project can be noted on the custom thumbnail.
• Add links to files and pages related to the requirements (such as product requirement documents, project management tools, etc.) to help other collaborators quickly find relevant information.
• Add annotations to the design content to help other collaborators understand the structure or basis of decision-making of the design content.
• Set up exports for layers to make finding the correct slices easier for other collaborators.
• Use descriptive names to name pages and help other collaborators to locate the content on the page.

Components and styles

• Add descriptive names to components and styles.
• Add meaningful descriptions to components and styles, such as:
  • When and how collaborators can use them.
  • Any variants or states.
  • Add supplementary annotations in the component library file.
• Other collaborators can use the Go to main component feature to open the libraries and view more information about the component.

Share the file with other collaborators

You can share the file with colleagues, clients, and other work partners for collaboration, including assigning different permissions for them and managing all members together.

You can manage collaborators' permissions on teams, projects, and files.

• Learn more about Inviting team members and Managing team members.
• Learn more about Sharing projects.
• Learn more about Sharing files.

When inviting other collaborators to access the file, you can choose to grant Can view or Can edit access permissions. If there is no need to edit the file together, granting Can view permission is sufficient.

Collaborators with Can view permission can:

• Select layers from the Layer panel or canvas.
• View the properties and styles of the selected layer in the inspect panel.
• Measure distances between layers on the canvas.
• View, add, and reply to comments in the file.
• Copy the text from text layers.
• Copy layers or create a duplicate of the file.
• View the version history of the file.
• Open the corresponding libraries via Go to main component.