We are living in a new era of software development where speed has become the most critical skill for everyone. Shipping fast is no longer just an advantage—it’s a necessity.

This is especially true in web development. The traditional approach to building user interfaces is becoming increasingly outdated. As a frontend developer, if you’re working in a startup and waiting for designers to finalize high-fidelity mockups or prototypes, you’re likely facing significant delays. Even if the designs are cutting-edge, translating them into functional code can be time-consuming and challenging. This is what we often refer to as the "gap" between designers and frontend (or UI) engineers.

However, a new role has emerged in recent years to bridge this gap: the Design Engineer.

From my perspective, I believe we can reduce development time by up to 75% if we skip the prototyping phase and develop directly for production. How? By leveraging pre-built, reusable components created by engineers who have a strong understanding of UI/UX design. Instead of starting from scratch, we can simply copy and paste these components, saving time and ensuring consistency.

This approach not only accelerates the development process but also fosters better collaboration between designers and developers, ultimately leading to faster and more efficient product delivery.