Developer-Ready Design Checklist

9 Critical Specs for Production-Grade Handoffs

1. Component Architecture & Edge Cases

Token & Naming Alignment

• Component names match front-end conventions (e.g., PascalCase)
• Prop names and variants are defined and documented
• Design tokens (colors, spacing, typography) are used consistently

Exhaustive State Management

• Interactive states defined (Default, Hover, Active, Focus, Disabled)
• System states defined (Loading, Error, Empty)
• Content edge cases (Zero-data, overflow rules)

Responsive & Fluid Behaviors

• Fixed vs. fluid container behaviors defined
• Breakpoints clearly established
• Component reorganization rules across viewports

2. Accessibility & Compliance

Contrast & Visual Legibility

• Text contrast ratios pass 4.5:1 (WCAG AA)
• UI components/borders pass 3:1 contrast ratio
• Color is never used as the sole indicator of state

Semantic & Keyboard Navigation

• Logical heading hierarchies established
• Focus ring styles documented
• Tab order annotated for complex overlays

3. Implementation Deliverables

Asset Readiness

• Vector icons exported as flattened SVGs
• Raster images provided in multiple resolutions
• Placeholder images for slow networks

Motion Orchestration

• Easing curves documented
• Duration and delays mapped
• Micro-interactions defined

Form & Input Handling

• Input modes defined (numeric, email, etc.)
• Inline validation designed
• Destructive actions have confirmation