Why Designers Are the Foundation of Great Software

When I first started as a developer, I vaguely understood what a designer actually did. Now, I can’t imagine building without them.

That shift didn’t happen overnight and I don’t think I’m alone in that journey.

I think there is a large number of people who still undervalue and diminish the role that designers play in application development. Whether it’s a brand-new greenfield project or a legacy app that’s been running for years, having a dedicated designer or designers on the team is not just helpful, it’s essential.

The Educational Gap

When I was studying software development at a local technical college, I don’t recall a single conversation about collaborating with designers. None of my instructors brought it up, and design was rarely mentioned in our textbooks or in the online tutorials. The same seems true in many other formal and informal training environments today.

Why is that?

Why don’t we talk more about collaborating with designers, or about design itself as a core part of the development process?

Common (But Flawed) Assumptions

Here are a few possibilities I’ve considered:

• Self-sufficiency: Developers might assume they can “handle” design themselves, often because they’ve been taught to do so in isolation. But knowing how to implement a layout in CSS isn’t the same as designing a thoughtful user journey, or solving user pain points through design decisions.

• Prioritizing functionality over usability: There’s a mindset in some teams that as long as the app works and the code is clean, it’s good enough. But functionality without usability isn’t a complete product, it’s just a tool waiting to frustrate users.

• Out of sight, out of mind: Many development teams just aren’t exposed to design thinking. If you’ve never worked closely with a designer, you might not even realize what you’re missing.

• Money talks: A development team is expensive. And because we spend more on it, we often treat it as more valuable. But cost doesn’t always equal impact.

And yes, I think there’s another, more uncomfortable layer to this conversation too.

A Touch of Bias?

This is harder to prove definitively, but worth considering: some of the devaluing of design may be cultural, even gendered.

Design as a profession has historically had stronger representation from women. Like teaching or nursing, other fields that are often undervalued, design work is sometimes dismissed as “soft” or less technical, despite its huge impact on real-world outcomes. (And yes, “soft” is a very conscious decision in word choice).

What’s often overlooked is just how technically complex modern design work can be. If you’ve ever used Figma, you know it’s not just about colors or fonts. Designers often immerse themselves and learn deeply about the technological systems they are designing for to inform and validate their decisions.

These skills aren’t peripheral. And recognizing them is essential if we want to value design for what it truly is, a discipline that blends many different skill sets to solve real-world problems.

To be clear: I don’t think most developers or teams are intentionally biased or sexist. But systemic patterns of undervaluing certain types of labor, especially work tied to empathy, aesthetics, and communication, are worth naming. If we want better teams and better products, we need to be honest about the forces that shape how we prioritize and collaborate.

What Designers Actually Bring

So what does a designer bring to the team that developers might not?

Here’s just a snapshot:

• User Research: Designers often lead efforts to understand the actual needs, goals, and frustrations of the user. Before a single line of code is written.

• Information Architecture: How an app is organized directly impacts how easy or hard it is to use. Designers map out navigation and content hierarchies to make interfaces more intuitive.

• Accessibility: Good designers consider contrast, readability, keyboard navigation, and other accessibility standards from the beginning.

• Interaction Design: Buttons, forms, animations, error states - these all require thoughtful design to avoid confusion and guide user behavior.

• Design Systems: Designers often help build consistent, reusable visual and interaction patterns that keep products cohesive and scalable.

Without this work, development teams can end up building technically solid products that users don’t enjoy, or worse, don’t understand how to use.

The Best Teams Are Cross-Functional

Great software comes from teams where each discipline is respected for its expertise. Design isn’t a finishing touch or an optional “nice to have.” It’s part of how we build software that works. For real people.

Imagine being brought into a project where all the foundational work has been completed already. All the controllers, models and partials are in place and you are asked to make it work “better.” That is a really difficult task because you are painted into a corner and can’t make too many changes or additions without worry of breaking functionality; everything is already built. You can make a few small tweaks here and there, maybe DRY things up but not much impact can be made in this corner.

Pulling in a designer after an app is built and not before, is creating the same situation. They are not able to use their skills to ensure the app offers a good user experience and ensures product success.

We need to start shifting the conversation in developer communities, in classrooms, and in tech culture at large. Respecting and integrating design into the software process isn’t just about making things look nice, it’s about making things work well, feel good, and connect with users.

In my own experience working with the incredible design team at Flagrant, I’ve noticed a real shift in how I approach development. The entire process feels more collaborative, more intentional and honestly, easier.

When I’m working alongside designers, I feel more confident that the code I’m writing isn’t just functional, but valuable. I know the features I’m building are more likely to make sense to the user, and that they’ll feel natural to interact with.

Collaborating closely with designers pushes me to think beyond implementation, it helps me grow my understanding of the end user and the role I play in shaping their experience. It’s no longer just about building features; it’s about building features that truly work for the people using them.

If you’re a developer and haven’t worked closely with a designer yet, I’d encourage you to seek it out. Ask questions. Watch their process. You’ll build better products and grow in the process.

Huge shoutout to the design team at Flagrant: Glynnis, Kelly, Lena and Valenzia.

If you’re looking for a team to help you discover the right thing to build and help you build it, get in touch.