how we build · part three
Design Execution
The designer's parallel work during implementation. Full-fidelity screens, interaction specifications, content design, handoff annotations, design system updates. The craft that runs alongside the code — not after it.
Events in this phase. Designer-developer pairing — ad-hoc, as stories enter implementation. The designer works alongside the developer, not after them. Storybook reviews — the designer checks components as they are built, in the catalogue, not only in the application.
The designer's work during execution
This is where meaning survives in the interface. Volume III's design shaping produced the flow, the named states, and a prototype at mid-fidelity. When a developer pulls a story, the designer's execution work begins in parallel — not as a handoff, as a conversation that runs alongside the code. Every screen the person will see passes through this discipline. If it doesn't, the person encounters something the brief never intended.
Full-fidelity screens
For each release-1 story entering implementation, the designer moves the wireframe states to full fidelity. This means: real copy in every label and message, final spacing and alignment, all in-between states drawn (loading, empty, partial data, error), interaction specifications (hover, focus, transitions, micro-animations). The design system components are used — no one-off elements that bypass the library.
Full fidelity is not polish. It is the resolution at which a developer can build the screen without inventing a UI decision. If the developer has to guess what the loading state looks like, fidelity is not done.
Content design
Content design is the domain language discipline applied to the interface. Labels, button text, error messages, empty states, confirmation messages, help text — all written by the designer before the developer implements. The words the person reads must be the same words the brief uses, the code uses, and the tests use. If the brief says "publish," the button says "Publish." If the domain calls it a "grading session," the heading says "Grading session" — not "Dashboard."
"No results found" is a placeholder. "No students have submitted yet — results will appear here as they finish the exam" is content design. The difference is whether Gal understands what she's seeing without asking someone.
Error messages are the most overlooked content. "An error occurred" tells the person nothing. "The school system didn't respond — your grades are saved locally and will submit automatically when the connection returns" tells Gal exactly what happened, that nothing was lost, and what will happen next. This is design work, not developer work.