What is a handoff specification in UID practice?

• A. A marketing brochure
• B. A test script
• C. A project budget
• D. Documentation that communicates design decisions and specifications to development teams

Answer: (D)

A handoff specification is the document that communicates how the design should be built to the development team. It captures design decisions and precise, actionable details so engineers can implement the UI exactly as intended. It goes beyond visuals to include component breakdowns, layout grids, typography, color and spacing tokens, responsive states, and the exact behavior of interactions such as hover, focus, and transitions. It also covers accessibility requirements, API data needs, edge cases, and any assets or measurements the developers will rely on. The main goal is to bridge design and development, reducing ambiguity and rework by providing a clear blueprint for implementation. This isn’t a marketing brochure, a test script, or a budget document, each of which serves a different purpose. In practice, handoff specifications accompany the design work and are used during handoff conversations and development work to maintain consistency throughout the product.