You know that moment when you finally ship a feature you've been designing for weeks — only to see the live version and go, "Wait… what happened here?"

The padding is off. The wrong button variant snuck in. Hover states are missing. And that beautifully tuned typography? It now screams "default Word doc." Been there? Same.

That's exactly why Design QA matters.

What is Design QA?

Design QA (Quality Assurance) is the last mile of the design process — a phase where we, as designers, review the built UI to ensure it aligns with the original designs. It's not about pointing fingers at devs. It's about safeguarding the design's integrity — the intent behind every layout, interaction, and pixel.

During Design QA, you look for anything that slipped through the cracks during handoff: visual glitches, misaligned components, inconsistent copy, missing animations, or broken interactions.

It's not just about functionality — it's about whether the experience feels right for the user.

Why Design QA Matters (From Someone Who Learned the Hard Way)

Early in my career, I'd hand off Figma files and move straight into the next sprint, confident that my detailed specs would carry the design across the finish line. Spoiler: they didn't. Specs got missed, components got misused, and hover states quietly vanished.

That's when I learned the magic of Design QA. It's the last defense against inconsistency and UX debt. Developers appreciate it too — because fixing a misaligned button post-release is never just a quick fix.

Design QA isn't extra work. It's the finishing touch that transforms a design file into a real, refined product.

A Practical Guide to Design QA

Design QA doesn't need to be complex or tool-heavy. What matters is building a lightweight, consistent process that fits into your team's workflow.

1. Plan for It Early

Bring it up during early planning. Work with PMs and engineers to carve out time for Design QA. Frame it as minor overhead with major payoff.

2. Build Your Go-To Checklist

Create a reusable checklist to guide your QA process. This keeps things consistent and helps you spot key issues faster. Customize it to your product, but here are a few essential themes worth covering:

• Visual alignment (spacing, colors, typography)
• Consistency with design systems
• Micro-interactions (hover states, animations)
• Functionality and responsiveness
• Legibility and copy accuracy
• Edge states/UI States
• Janky scroll behavior

3. Run the First Pass

Once the feature is built, dedicate focused time to run through your checklist. Log every issue — no matter how small.

4. Create an Issue Report Template

Have a reusable template for reporting issues — Google Docs, Notion, Confluence, or even spreadsheets work well. Include screenshots, descriptions, and priorities.

5. Validate the Fixes

After feedback is addressed, run another QA pass. Don't skip this step — it's what ensures everything is fixed and feels right. QA isn't done until it's rechecked.

The next time someone says "It's live!" — don't just celebrate. Open that staging link. Click around. QA it. Make sure it feels exactly the way it looked in Figma.