Upskill your productivity with life hacks for design and development is a must do in today’s fast-paced world. Our ability to create exceptional work efficiently can make all the difference in meeting deadlines, exceeding client expectations, and ultimately elevating our success. That’s where utilizing fast and efficient tools comes into play. In this article, we will explore the importance of using these and highlight a selection of a few that can help maximize productivity and unleash our creative potential not only for designer but also for developers interesting in exploring new tools.
Boosting Productivity in Design and Development

Google Chrome Extensions

CSS Peeper

CSS Peeper is a Google Chrome extension that simplifies the process of inspecting and extracting CSS styles from web pages. This is more appropriate for designers because they can more easily identify colors, font styles, dimensions, and other CSS properties, significantly reducing the time spent on manual code analysis.
 
Although designer focused, this extension is a valuable asset for both designers and developers, helping them maintain consistency and enhance collaboration.
 

Awesome Screenshots

Awesome Screenshots is another handy Chrome extension that enables users to capture, annotate, and share screenshots effortlessly. It can be used to capture full web pages, highlight specific areas, and add annotations or comments. This tool facilitates effective communication and feedback sharing, benefiting both designers and clients during the design iteration process.
 

Screenpal

Screenpal is a versatile Chrome extension that allows users to record their screens, making it an excellent tool for capturing demos, tutorials, or bug reports. Designers and developers can utilize Screenpal to share their work process or troubleshoot issues more effectively. Its simplicity and convenience make it an essential asset for collaborative projects.
 

Productivity Websites

Fluent UI Theme Designer

Fluent UI Theme Designer is a powerful tool that empowers designers and developers to create visually stunning and consistent user interfaces. As an essential component of the Fluent UI framework, the Theme Designer provides a comprehensive set of customization options to tailor the look and feel of your applications.

Designers can use this with figma plugins that help you create and/or preview designs with themes created here and customize however you want, and deliver the exact theme code to their developer.

Extract.pics

Extract.pics simplifies the image extraction process, empowering designers and content creators to efficiently gather images from web pages, PDF documents, and more. With its user-friendly interface, wide source support, precise selection options, and time-saving capabilities, Extract.pics enhances your design workflow and enables you to focus on what you do best – creating captivating visual experiences.

Adobe Color

Adobe Color is an online platform that empowers designers to explore, create, and save color palettes for their projects.

With various color rules and presets, designers can effortlessly generate harmonious color schemes and experiment with different combinations. Adobe Color is an invaluable resource for everyone seeking inspiration and ensuring cohesive visual experiences.

Type Scale Calculator

Type Scale Calculator is a web tool that assists designers in creating balanced and harmonious typography. By adjusting font sizes, line heights, and scales, designers can achieve optimal readability and visual hierarchy. This tool simplifies the process of determining appropriate type sizes, benefiting both designers and developers in creating visually appealing and accessible interfaces.

ChatGPT

Powered by OpenAI’s GPT-3.5, is a language model that can engage in conversational interactions. It provides assistance and answers questions across a wide range of topics, including design and development. Designers and developers can leverage ChatGPT to seek guidance, brainstorm ideas, or gain insights, making it a valuable resource for problem-solving and expanding knowledge.

Speechgen.io

Speechgen.io is a text-to-speech API service that provides designers and developers with high-quality speech synthesis capabilities. It offers multiple voices and languages, enabling the creation of engaging voiceovers for applications, videos, or interactive experiences. With speechgen.io, designers and developers can enhance accessibility, user engagement, and the overall user experience.

Adobe Stock and Unsplash

Adobe Stock and Unsplash are reputable platforms offering a vast collection of high-quality stock photos and visuals. These resources provide designers with a wide range of imagery options to enrich their designs. By utilizing these platforms, we can save time on sourcing and ensure access to professional-grade visuals, elevating the overall aesthetic appeal of our projects.

Designers can also use the Unsplash plug in in figma to quickly incorporate them into their designs.

Figma Help Center

Figma Help Center is a comprehensive resource offering documentation, tutorials, and guides for Figma users. It provides designers and developers with in-depth knowledge on utilizing Figma’s features and capabilities to their fullest potential. The Figma Help Center is an invaluable tool for users to enhance their proficiency, increase productivity, and leverage Figma’s collaborative design environment effectively.

When inspiration doesn’t strike

Pinterest and Dribble can be used for inspiration and to study trends and understand what will work for you. These websites primarily cater to the needs of designers rather than developers due to their visual nature.

Pinterest serves as a valuable resource, offering a vast collection of images, graphics, and design trends. Designers can easily explore and gather inspiration from various visual content available on the platform. Whether searching for UI/UX ideas, typography inspiration, or creative illustrations, Pinterest provides an extensive library of visually stimulating content.

Similarly, Dribbble is a popular platform specifically designed for designers to showcase their work, discover design inspiration, and engage with the creative community. It primarily focuses on visual aspects of design, such as illustrations, user interfaces, and animations. Designers can browse through curated portfolios and gather ideas.

While these tools may not have the same level of direct relevance for developers, they can still be beneficial for developers working closely with designers. Developers can gain insights into design trends, explore visual references, and align their development work with the overall design vision.

SharePoint Lookbook  it can also be a source of design inspiration for SharePoint sites and applications. It showcases pre-designed templates, layouts, and components that designers can leverage to create visually stunning and functional SharePoint solutions. This resource helps designers accelerate the design process and leverage best practices while customizing SharePoint experiences.

So, when inspiration seems out of reach, don’t despair. Embrace the tools, platforms, and resources mentioned here, and let them guide you towards innovative solutions and captivating designs. With these in your arsenal, you’ll be equipped to overcome any creative obstacle and create remarkable experiences that leave a lasting impact, and don’t forget that you can always count on your coworkers for help.

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