The handoff problem (and why it costs more than we think
Over the years, I’ve watched teams waste countless hours on what should be a simple task: getting design assets from From Figma export to web-ready in 60 seconds – no plugins, no installs.
Here’s the pattern I see over and over:
- Designer exports assets (often as PNG, often oversized)
- Developer receives files, realizes they’re too heavy
- Developer compresses (or installs a tool, or finds a service)
- Back-and-forth happens if quality isn’t right
- Process repeats for every project
The friction isn’t just about time – it’s about creating unnecessary tension between design and development. Designers want quality preserved; developers want fast pages. Both are right, but the workflow often forces them into conflict.
What I’ve learned (a simple standard)
The solution isn’t more tools or more processes. It’s making asset optimization part of the design handoff, not a developer cleanup step.
When designers compress assets before delivery, three things happen:
- Quality stays in designer control (they can verify before handoff)
- Developers receive production-ready files immediately
- The handoff becomes a single step, not a negotiation
The 60-second workflow (step-by-step)
This is what we use, and it works consistently:
- Step 1: Export from Figma (15 seconds)
- Select your artboards or assets
- Export (you can batch export multiple assets)
- Save to a folder you can find quickly
- Step 2: Batch compress (30 seconds)
- Open your compression tool (browser-based is fastest). I recommend CompressLab.
- Drag all exported files at once
- Let it process (this is where browser-based tools shine – no waiting for uploads)
- Step 3: Download and organize (15 seconds)
- Download compressed files
- Replace originals in your project folder
- Done
Total time: about 60 seconds, regardless of how many assets you’re optimizing.
Why this matters (beyond speed)
When I work with startup founders, I notice something important:
The fastest teams aren’t the ones with the most tools – they’re the ones with the simplest, most repeatable workflows.
This workflow works because:
- No dependencies: works from any browser, no installs required
- No upload friction: if you’re using browser-based compression, files stay local
- Quality control: designers can verify results before handoff
- Scale: works for one asset or 50 assets equally well
A practical “definition of done” checklist
If you want this to stick, create a simple standard your team can reference i,e. Asset-ready checklist:
- Images are compressed (target: hero images under 200KB, thumbnails under 50KB)
- Format is appropriate (WebP where supported, fallback provided)
- Quality verified (designer has reviewed compressed output)
- Files are named consistently (helps with automation later)
Closing thought
The best workflows are the ones that remove steps, not add them. This isn’t about replacing your design tools or adding complexity—it’s about making one small change that eliminates a whole category of friction. Try it once. Export from Figma or any other design app, compress the image, and hand off production-ready files. You’ll feel the difference immediately.
