You're facing developer feedback on a mobile app design. How do you maintain user experience integrity?

To maintain user experience integrity when facing developer feedback on a mobile app design, prioritize open communication. Understand their technical constraints, but advocate for core design principles that impact user experience. Provide clear rationale for design decisions, focusing on usability, accessibility, and user satisfaction. Collaborate to find solutions that balance user needs with development feasibility. If compromises are needed, ensure that they don't degrade the essential user journey. Regularly test the design, iterate based on feedback, and involve developers early in the design process to align expectations.

In handling developers' feedback to maintain UX integrity, clearly communicate the users' goals and collaboration. Support solutions that strike a balance between technical feasibility and user experience. Be flexible, but at the same time, make sure the compromise does not undermine key UX principles or usability. Regular testing and being able to explain why certain design decisions were taken keep both teams aligned.

This kind of statement contributes to naturalizing an unhealthy relationship between Design and Development. Where the first, seems to have a superior position to drive the user experience decisions, and the latter is somehow trying to undermine it. Also, it assumes that the integrity of the user experience is a Designer job. But, these well-spread assumptions are the actual root issue here. There is no need to look for polite ways to deal with this specific matter. Instead, our duty should be to spread and remind the idea that the integrity of the user experience is everyone's job. This way we can remove ourselves from that "special position", to start building a more horizontal conversation around the user experience matters.

This is not only about the engineers perspective. This is one of the most common scenario in my experience - engineering team raising their concerns about the size of the work. It’s often scenario that product requirements, specific design details are hard to be implemented (not impossible but irrationally expensive). It’s a great value to have such engineers who could help you maintaining the cost effectiveness. Gather engineers, designers and stakeholders’ understanding of the product. Usually, deep understanding of requirements, rationale and reasoning, lets you to come out with modified requirements, modified designs, but still fully valuable product.

When handling developer feedback, first identify whether it's a technical, workflow, frontend, or timeline issue. Prioritize points affecting the user experience and explore alternatives if needed. Explain your design rationale, advocating for it when necessary, while remaining open to suggestions that improve the outcome.