How I’ve been experimenting and approaching my design process and iterations

Over the years, as a designer, I’ve realised we’re not just here to design screens. Or rather, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to only designing screens.

I’m not referring to pitch decks, social media posts, or marketing collateral. While those are often part of our work, I’m talking about something more sociological and practical, a mindset or approach to design that goes beyond the visual.

Understanding Different Perspectives on Design

As designers, we interact with many types of people — clients, managers, developers, marketing teams, and more. What I’ve learned is that each group sees design differently. Each role looks for specific things in a design. When it resonates, they consider it successful.

For example, a manager might evaluate the flow based on how well it meets deadlines or fits the requirements. A client wants to see their rough ideas translated into a clear, polished vision.

So how do we juggle all these expectations and still keep users happy, while gathering meaningful feedback from other team members?

What I’ve learned is that design often becomes more than what the user sees. You can’t create different versions of a product for every team member.

In the past, I made the mistake of treating every stakeholder like a designer. I simplified workflows and user steps to make the work easy to understand. But that wasn’t enough. It helped some people, but not everyone.

Design as a Bridge Between Teams

Design isn’t just about screens. It’s about creating a shared understanding of the product. We’re like midfielders — bridging the gap between various team members, understanding their pace, and passing the ball where it counts. I created a simple framework to gather feedback and approvals from the team, and it helped me align better with each role.

For Managers

They want a feature designed their way. Our job is to show why we chose a different approach. Back it up with logic — why it benefits users, what constraints influenced the decision, and how it fits into the broader context of the timeline or engineering limitations. Give them clarity, not just visuals.

For Stakeholder

They want to see their vision come alive. Help them understand how you approached the look and feel of the product. Share your inspirations, any supporting research or data, and real examples if possible.

The goal is to align your design direction with their expectations. You’re not debating styles or colors just yet — you’re checking if what you’ve created reflects what they initially imagined, only more refined.

For the Marketing Team

They need a clear and compelling understanding of the product. They’re not concerned with micro-interactions or reduced text.

What they care about is: What problem does this solve? How is it better than other options? They need this clarity to craft a message that sells. Share your perspective — maybe it’s a website for an e-commerce brand. Explain your choices in tone, font, and colour.

This helps them align the design with their strategy. You can even go further. Before designing, talk to them. Understand their vision and research insights. What do they think makes the product stand out? These conversations will enrich your understanding and lead to a better final product.

For Developers

They want to build quickly and with minimal confusion. Their focus is clarity — what’s in the Figma file, how screens connect, and what states they need to handle. Make your designs detailed and annotated.

Ask which parts might take the most time or create confusion. Often, responsiveness causes issues. So, during handoff, present a clean Figma file. Use structured frames, proper auto-layouts, and organised layers to make development smoother.

Serving the Team to Serve the User

In the end, I believe design isn’t just about aesthetics or tools like Figma, research, or presentations. It’s about bridging the gap between all these teams. Your designs serve the end user, but before that, they must serve internal users too — people who aren’t focused on the user’s journey, but on getting the product built and launched.

Everyone — marketers, stakeholders, developers, and managers — wants to build a great product. They want to contribute their best. If we, as designers, open up communication, listen, and create a space for shared insights, we’ll be able to build truly impactful products together.

Designing Beyond Screens and Working Across Teams to Build Better Products was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.