# Dev Mode: Building a design tool that works harder for developers

DevFeed: [Dev Mode: Building a design tool that works harder for developers](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/dev-mode-building-a-design-tool-that-works-harder-for-developers-9804.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.figma.com/blog/how-we-built-dev-mode/>)

Author: Alia Fite

Published: 2023-11-22T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Figma Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/figma-blog.md>)

Topics: [Figma](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/figma.md>), [developer tooling](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/developer-tooling.md>), [toolchains](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/toolchains.md>), [React](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/react.md>), [Code generation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code-generation.md>)

Tags: [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [developer-tooling](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer-tooling.md>), [developers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developers.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [figma](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/figma.md>), [product-design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/product-design.md>), [react](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/react.md>), [tool](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tool.md>), [toolchains](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/toolchains.md>), [workflows](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/workflows.md>)

## AI overview

Figma describes how its Dev Mode team built a developer-focused experience within the design tool. The team moved away from a code-generation-first approach, studied developer workflows and toolchains, and accelerated development through its 2021 acquisition of Visly, whose team had built a tool for developing UI components in React.

## Source excerpt

How do you create a home for developers in a design tool? The Dev Mode team shares their early pivot away from a codegen-first approach, the acquisition that accelerated their efforts, and what it means to break down the handoff wall.