Product design / Practical notes
How to Write Figma Handoff Notes Developers Can Use
A developer should be able to read the note beside a screen and understand what to build, what to keep and what happens if the action fails.
Start with the decision, not the measurements
A frame shows where the fields go. It often leaves the harder question unanswered: what should happen when someone uses them? I start a handoff note with the person, their task and the result they are trying to reach.
For an Orkest lead form, that means explaining what a successful save creates and which information the next screen needs. Measurements still matter, but the purpose helps an engineer make decisions the frame cannot settle.
Use the form to expose unresolved behavior
The Orkest create-lead design groups contact information and qualification and states that the score is calculated after saving. That establishes a visible dependency. It does not establish which values a draft requires, when duplicate checking occurs or what survives a failed request.
Those are the questions I would resolve before calling the form ready for implementation. The screenshot below is source evidence; the accompanying contract is a proposed way to specify behavior, not proof that the product already implements it.
Write a state contract someone can test
| State | Specify | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Editing | Required values, defaults and draft rules | Leaving or changing a field does not silently discard work |
| Submitting | Progress feedback and duplicate-submit behavior | A repeated action cannot accidentally create a second intent |
| Validation error | Field message, summary and focus behavior | The person can identify and correct the problem |
| Request failure | Retained values and retry boundary | Recovery preserves valid input |
| Success | Saved identifier and destination | The result is distinct from a merely attempted save |
Describe responsive and keyboard rules
Explain what changes when space runs out. Which field groups stay together? Does the side panel move after the form, become a disclosure or disappear because the same information exists elsewhere? A screenshot at one width is an example of a rule, not the rule itself.
For a modal step, include focus entry, Tab behavior, dismissal and return focus. W3C's modal-dialog pattern is a useful reference for that interaction. Keep the note focused on the behavior the team actually needs to build.
Keep the question beside the record
The create and edit screens need to agree about the same lead. The edit view below keeps the record fields and save guidance together. I would use it to resolve required fields, duplicate checks and what survives a failed save.
Give each unanswered rule an owner and keep the note attached to the version it describes. Then walk through a successful save and an interruption together.
