Design QA: Ensuring Quality from Figma to Production

Design QA compares the final product against your original designs, ensuring what’s coded matches what was planned. This includes everything from functionality and micro-interactions to styling, consistency, legibility, accessibility, and copywriting.

Why is it crucial? Because poor quality is expensive. Inconsistencies create design debt and a poor user experience, impacting customer satisfaction. As designers, we own the user experience, so it’s our responsibility to ensure a positive outcome.

Here are three practical Design QA methods I use with my teams:

1. Capturing Your Designs: Screenshots and Screen Recordings

Screenshots and screen recordings are invaluable for quick sharing, feedback, and documentation. During Design QA my typical workflow is to take a screenshot of the implemented viewport and paste it into Figma next to my original design for direct comparison and annotation. I then share these annotated comparisons with developers directly or I add them to Jira tickets. Here’s how to capture screenshots and screen recordings:

• Screenshots with Chrome DevTools: Right-click on an element and select “Inspect.” In DevTools, set the desired viewport dimensions (e.g., mobile or desktop) and use the three-dot menu to “Capture screenshot” (for the current view) or “Capture full size screenshot” (for the entire page).

• Screenshots on macOS: Use Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + 4 to select an area, then Cmd + V to paste into Figma.

• Screenshots on iPhone: Quickly press and release the side button and volume up button simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved to your Photos app.

• Screen Recordings: iOS has built-in screen recording in the Control Center. On macOS, use QuickTime Player (File → New Screen Recording).

2. Diving into the Code: Chrome DevTools

Chrome DevTools is a powerful tool for understanding the underlying code of a webpage and comparing it to your static Figma designs. It provides valuable insight into the technical realization of your designs. I use it for taking screenshots (as described above) and also to manipulate existing elements by changing their content or CSS. It’s also a handy tool for inspecting other websites and examining their CSS.

• Inspecting Elements: Right-click on an element and select “Inspect.” DevTools highlights the corresponding HTML and CSS. You can view applied CSS classes, manipulate HTML for testing, and even edit CSS directly to see the effects.

• Responsive Design: Go to the Dimensions menu and choose ”responsive”. You can use the handles, the width input field or click on the top part of the viewport to resize the page and check how it behaves.

• Accessibility Checks: DevTools’ Lighthouse tool offers accessibility audits, identifying potential issues like insufficient color contrast or missing ARIA attributes. Addressing these early ensures inclusive designs.

3. Clear Communication: The Power of Annotations

Clear communication is essential for smooth handoffs. With annotations you can provide context and clarify your design decisions. Start creating annotated slides early, using a standard 1920×1080 format for easy presentation to stakeholders, your developers and other designers.

• Figma Community Resources: The Figma Community offers many annotation examples and templates

Conclusion

Testing and validating your designs is essential for creating high-quality products. These methods ensure your designs are visually appealing, technically sound, and ready for production.

Remember, your work doesn’t end at handoff. Own the final product through structured Design QA, using checklists and issue reporting to streamline communication.

Consistent communication is key to a positive team environment and a smooth design-to-development process.