The road from design to implementation can be as bumpy as the number of interchangeable elements in any given project, multiplied by the number of stakeholders involved. In order to guarantee a safe and smooth ride developing a product with the best possible user experience, the cooperation with the development team is crucial. Analyzing a specific HolidayPirates project case, I showcase how this cooperation evolved with remote engineers, and how designing with a development mindset from the very first week contributed to everyone's success.

1. Why thinking like a developer
makes you a better designer
Olga Voskoboinikova @dVosk
holidaypirates.group

2. Your Matey
Olga Voskoboinikova
UI☠UX Designer
Drunkard Reef Sailor
dVosk

3. HolidayPirates Group stats
+24,000,000 +4,500,000
Monthly Visitors App Downloads

4. Last week in Gran Canaria

5. Overview
• Why this is important
• What was the project about
• 7 developer mindsets
• Relation to other areas

6. “As we move from design to implementation, we do start to get
questions about how is that going to work or is that feasible?
And we do need to recognise that either is because the
development team comes onboard or it’s just because we don’t
want to deliver a design that’s not going to be feasible at all.”
—Marli Mesibov, Managing Director of Content Strategy at Mad*Pow

7. Disclaimer: No developers were hurt

8. holidaypirates.group
Our Corporate Portal’s story

9. Layout and screens collection
“10+ screens combined”
project on Zeplin.io

10. Developer’s mindset #1
“You should know better”

11. Developer’s mindset #1
“You should know better”

12. Developer’s mindset #1
“You should know better”

13. Developer’s mindset #1
“You should know better”

14. Developer’s mindset #2
“Use less styles”

15. Base layout styles
• 1 single breakpoint
• 12 colors – including: white, black and the grayscale
• 2 Fonts and line-heights
• 4 different text sizes/styles
• 2 Link styles
• 2 Button styles
our 1st frontend JIRA ticket

16. Developer’s mindset #2
“Use less styles”

17. Developer’s mindset #3
“Time is precious”

18. Developer’s mindset #3
“Time is precious”

19. Developer’s mindset #4
“Let’s get organized”

20. Developer’s mindset #4
“Let’s get organized”

21. Developer’s mindset #4
“Let’s get organized”

22. Developer’s mindset #5
“Consistency matters”

23. Developer’s mindset #5
“Consistency matters”

24. Developer’s mindset #6
“It is somebody else’s responsibility”

25. Developer’s mindset #6
“It is somebody else’s responsibility”

26. Developer’s mindset #6
“It is somebody else’s responsibility”

27. Developer’s mindset #6
“It is somebody else’s responsibility”

28. Developer’s mindset #7
“This can be made simpler”

29. Developer’s mindset #7
“This can be made simpler”

30. Developer’s mindset #7
“This can be made simpler”

31. Summarising…
• You should know better
• Use less styles
• Time is precious
• Let’s get organized
• Consistency matters
• It is somebody else’s responsibility
• This can be made simpler

32. “There is no contradiction between the creative and business side
of this work. They are related, and I think I have to understand the
business side of it to be creative in the right way. I have to
understand all the mechanics of the market, of the industry, of
calculations, of costs, of taking risks and investments.”
—Konstantin Grcic, industrial designer
What works for development, is also good for business

33. Thank you