Redefining UX: From Mockups to True Collaboration in Software Development
- Tanya Jordan
- Oct 18, 2025
- 2 min read
The Old Way: UX as Visual Output
When I first joined our team, UX was seen as just providing mockups. Our role was largely visual: create screens, hand them off, and hope the implementation matched the design. While this approach checked a box, it left significant gaps in the product experience. Interactions were not always as intended, solutions were not fully optimized, and the UX team’s potential to influence meaningful outcomes was underutilized.
Integrating UX into the Process
I set out to change that. My goal was to integrate UX into the heart of the software development process long before visual designs and continuing until the final product review. Instead of working in isolation, UX began collaborating deeply with Product, Content Development, and Engineering. Together, we framed problems, explored solutions, and iterated on ideas in a way that leveraged each team’s expertise.
Building a Design System to Accelerate Development
To further streamline both design and development, we created a design system in close collaboration with Engineering. This system established a unified set of components, patterns, and guidelines that ensured consistency across the product while speeding up delivery. Designers could iterate faster, and engineers could implement features more efficiently, reducing errors and freeing up time for problem solving. The design system became a shared language that strengthened collaboration and made every stage of development more predictable and effective.
Design Review: Testing Interactions Before Launch
Another key improvement was implementing a Design Review in the pre production environment. This ensured that interactions and visual design were not just documented, they were tested, validated, and refined in the actual working product. It caught inconsistencies, clarified edge cases, and allowed us to make adjustments before release rather than after issues reached customers. This step was after engineering wrote code, but before QA did their QA testing.
Collaboration as a Mindset
Central to this shift was fostering an environment of open collaboration. UX was not just designing; UX was engaging in discussions with engineers during development, offering insights, exploring constraints, and co creating solutions. This broke down silos and cultivated a sense of shared ownership over the final product.
The Result: UX as a True Partner
The result? UX became an active problem solving partner throughout the lifecycle of the product. Products launched with fewer friction points, interactions were intuitive, and teams felt confident that they were building solutions as intended. More importantly, UX was no longer just mockups. We became integral to delivering products that truly solved user problems.
A Mindset Shift
Redefining UX is more than process, it is a mindset shift. It is about moving from being a hand off team to being a collaborative, solution driven partner. When teams embrace that shift, both the product and the people who build it benefit.
