> Canonical URL: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-8-design-for-developers

# Design for Developers

🎧 Podcast Episode · S1E8January 1, 2021[AI & MCP Agents](/topic/ai)

# Design for Developers

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/media-libraries/mlttp0BZbCpV/images/45451c7f5f930a090d6b0e76538ef138987174e1-1920x1080.png?w=1920&h=1080&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)[@CodingCatDev62.5K / 100K Subscribers Goal](https://www.youtube.com/@codingcatdev?sub_confirmation=1)[Subscribe on YouTube→](https://www.youtube.com/@codingcatdev?sub_confirmation=1)[Watch on YouTube App ↗](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&list=UUnKZ8gEb78zXKMi1ns-IQ2g)[![Alex Patterson](https://cdn.sanity.io/media-libraries/mlttp0BZbCpV/images/a606dfaa381aab08ddbe16a33fe1d3e1fb37c927-400x400.jpg?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Alex Patterson](/author/alex-patterson)[![Brittney Postma](https://cdn.sanity.io/media-libraries/mlttp0BZbCpV/images/f25e504779cb6ebb7c0dd7df367f2c7490e17784-735x735.png?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Brittney Postma](/author/brittney-postma)[![Christy Ennis-Kloote](https://cdn.sanity.io/media-libraries/mlttp0BZbCpV/images/1e9e44f1065c00f43cc8a55c30df00590c5a69a3-399x399.jpg?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Christy Ennis-Kloote](/guest/christy-ennis-kloote)[![Zoë Wilson](https://cdn.sanity.io/media-libraries/mlttp0BZbCpV/images/35a3ce2a02dfebf2e6812f35c32698496f4ce242-573x573.jpg?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Zoë Wilson](/guest/zoe-wilson)[![Elizabeth Bush](https://cdn.sanity.io/media-libraries/mlttp0BZbCpV/images/7a9da2e49f138e15c8ecd6baad9b25c0ba03656c-391x391.jpg?w=96&h=96&q=82&fit=max&auto=format)Elizabeth Bush](/guest/elizabeth-bush)🎧 Listen & Subscribe[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2bb8DGGAbf6VEKxpVxunQ5)[Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-8-design-for-developers/id1491655542?i=1000509571738)[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&list=PLUKgAjyG9B0ZhUEXp9eVa7h4L__FDW3uV)[Subscribe on YouTube (62.5K / 100K) →](https://www.youtube.com/@codingcatdev?sub_confirmation=1)[Pocket Casts](https://pca.st/episode/6107de8a-f2a8-4085-9ac4-620ee8abdd3e)[Castbox](https://castbox.fm/episode/id2508485-id356331965)[Castro](https://castro.fm/episode/nhvwAi)[Overcast](https://overcast.fm/itunes1491655542)[RSS](https://anchor.fm/s/115b203c/podcast/rss)

## Questions

- I noticed you studied Industrial design. How did you find your way to UX or Interaction design?
- From the team to the community, are there patterns you see in each?
- Opinions on education paths…bootcamps vs. institutions vs. workshops.master’s programs
- Do you need formal education around UX/UI?
- What advice would you give to others coming out of school and how to get started into the design side of a web development practice?
- Resources, tools?
- If someone not going to school wants to get started, how do you get in the door first?
- Networking – reaching out to people you admire
- Soft Skills (importance of consulting and speaking skills)
- Where does your community hang out? Especially after 2020?
- Meeting community where they platform
- Why do people thrive in communities?
- What communities exist or are accessible? `Clubhouse, Meet ups (local and online), AIGA, IxDA Community events (Code for Good / Givecamp, Global Service Design Jam, Courses / Co-Learning) / Ladies of UX /`
- What should a designer learn today? `Attitude & aptitude – curiosity & willingness to learn Mentor / find leaders to learn from Online, self-driven learning (courses, youtube, google)`
- Tools? [Sketch](https://www.sketch.com/), [Figma](https://www.figma.com), [Miro](https://miro.com/), [Adobe Products](https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html)
- Designers often work together and collaborate, how did this change in 2020?
- At work? `Miro, drawing messy, white board type work.`
- A developer can do the work, but often they need to be led down the path. Do you see this as a designers role, or more of an architect’s role?
- Are mobile designers different from web designers? `(platform agnostic?) Multi-modal Physical Design, Interactive Points, how do you manage expectations.`
- What is hardest about being a designer?
- What is hard about getting started. `(Constraint, confidence & expression), non-stop pitching`
- How can you be creative, but still need to work within a framework? `Constraints are helpful, Design systems`
- What Physical devices are you using? `iPad / Wacom Tablet, Old school – Sticky notes / Whiteboard / sketchbook`
- Where can designers get started on the side, for freelance work? [Dribbble](https://dribbble.com/), [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/), [Fiverr](https://www.fiverr.com/), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/), [99designs](https://99designs.com/), [Awwwards](https://www.awwwards.com/)

## Video Chapters & Timestamps

Jump directly to any segment of [**Design for Developers**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s) on YouTube using the timestamped chapters below:

- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Intro
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Elizabeth
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Zoe
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Christy
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): How did you get started in UX?
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): 4 year degree transitioning
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): No formal degree background
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): 2 year background/ remote learning
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Hiring for different backgrounds
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Difference in school and real world skills
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Learning resources
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Creating communities
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Meetups and lurkers
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Social Interactions
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Discord
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Clubhouse
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Tools for Design
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Figma Collaboration
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Moving away from physical design tools
- [**00:00**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s&t=0s): Real-time collaboration

## Resources, Links & Official Documentation

- **Watch on YouTube: ** [Design for Developers Full Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s) (plus [Subscribe to CodingCat.dev](https://www.youtube.com/@CodingCatDev?sub_confirmation=1))
- **Show Pick: ** [Config: Figma's Annual Conference (picked by Alex Patterson)](https://config.figma.com/)
- **Show Pick: ** [Adobe Wire Frame Podcast (picked by Brittney Postma)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wireframe/id1437677219)
- **Show Pick: ** [Sackboy (game) (picked by Brittney Postma)](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/sackboy-a-big-adventure/)
- **Show Pick: ** [Peter Merholtz & JessieJames Garret, Finding our way (podcast) (picked by Christy Ennis-Kloote)](https://findingourway.design/)
- **Show Pick: ** [Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (picked by Christy Ennis-Kloote)](https://a.co/d/c6EyVqP)
- **Show Pick: ** [The Design Better Podcast (picked by Zoë Wilson)](https://www.designbetter.co/podcast)
- **Show Pick: ** [Headspace (app) (picked by Zoë Wilson)](https://www.headspace.com/focus-mode)
- **Show Pick: ** [Squads - the global full-stack development community (picked by Elizabeth Bush)](https://squads.com/)
- [**Christy Ennis-Kloote Guest Profile & Episodes on CodingCat.dev**](/guest/christy-ennis-kloote)
- [**Zoë Wilson Guest Profile & Episodes on CodingCat.dev**](/guest/zoe-wilson)
- [**Elizabeth Bush Guest Profile & Episodes on CodingCat.dev**](/guest/elizabeth-bush)
- [**web.dev UI & Design Patterns:**](https://web.dev/learn/design) Responsive web design, typography, color systems, and UX patterns

## Related CodingCat.dev Tutorials & Podcast Episodes

- [**Design Systems: From Atomic Design to a Global Solution**](/podcast/4-8-design-systems-brad-frost): Dive into the world of creating and maintaining successful design systems, unpack the layer cake approach, and explore the potential future of a global design s...
- [**Creating a Standardized Design System for the Web**](/podcast/2-31-creating-a-standardized-design-system-for-the-web): Greg talks with us about running the OpenUI working group. We talk in detail and give demos on standardizing components across the major browser vendors.
- [**Building & Maintaining Design Systems**](/podcast/2-25-building-maintaining-design-systems): Michael Chan talks all about how to build and maintain Design Systems. Brittney and I have a few ideas of our own too.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

### What are the main takeaways from Design for Developers?

Are you struggling to become a designer for web development? You don''t need formal web development training to be successful. Learn from the design group at OST how each of them found a path into design, coming from several different backgrounds. 1.8 - Design for Developers: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-8-design-for-developers 0:00 - Intro
1:07 - Elizabeth
1:45 - Zoe
2:27 - Christy
4:00 - How did you get started in UX?
5:40 - 4 year degree transitioning
6:55 - No formal degree background
10:00 - 2 year background/ remote learning
11:00 - Hiring for different backgro Throughout this podcast, Christy Ennis-Kloote and Zoë Wilson and Elizabeth Bush breaks down real-world implementation details for Design so developers can apply these patterns directly in production.

### How do you implement Design best practices in production?

When adopting Design in a production stack, start by validating your configuration against the [**web.dev UI & Design Patterns**](https://web.dev/learn/design) (Responsive web design, typography, color systems, and UX patterns). Focus on incremental adoption, automated testing, and observability so your team can measure performance and developer velocity improvements at each stage.

### Where can I watch the full Design for Developers walkthrough and find related code resources?

You can watch the complete video session for [**Design for Developers**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S7YemZW2s) on the [**CodingCat.dev YouTube channel**](https://www.youtube.com/@CodingCatDev?sub_confirmation=1). For a deeper dive into Design, check out our related guide: [**Design Systems: From Atomic Design to a Global Solution**](/podcast/4-8-design-systems-brad-frost).

## ✏️ Episode Summary

1.8 - Design for Developers: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/1-8-design-for-developers

0:00 - Intro
1:07 - Elizabeth
1:45 - Zoe
2:27 - Christy
4:00 - How did you get started in UX?
5:40 - 4 year degree transitioning
6:55 - No formal degree background
10:00 - 2 year background/ remote learning
11:00 - Hiring for different backgro

✏️ Visual Architecture Diagram

## how this episode connects together.

Follow AJ from first principles to production-ready architecture.

Let’s build it!✏️ Visual Diagram: Design for Developers✓ Good PatternVISUAL DIAGRAM[Diagram Walkthrough]Step-by-step diagram breakdown for Design for Developers: start with Christy Ennis-Kloote, implement Zoë Wilson, and ship to production.AAA Contrast Verified

## episode picks.

### 🐾 Alex Patterson

- [Config: Figma's Annual Conference](https://config.figma.com/)

### 🐾 Brittney Postma

- [Adobe Wire Frame Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wireframe/id1437677219)
- [Sackboy (game)](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/sackboy-a-big-adventure/)

### 🐾 Christy Ennis-Kloote

- [Peter Merholtz & JessieJames Garret – Finding our way (podcast)](https://findingourway.design/)
- [Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less](https://a.co/d/c6EyVqP)

### 🐾 Elizabeth Bush

- [Squads - the global full-stack development community](https://squads.com/)

### 🐾 Zoë Wilson

- [The Design Better Podcast](https://www.designbetter.co/podcast)
- [Headspace (app)](https://www.headspace.com/focus-mode)

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