A Developer’s Perspective from a Coding Shop

At our coding shop, we spend a lot of time bridging the gap between design and development. One of the most common problems we see is great-looking designs that slow projects down once it’s time to turn them into working software.

That’s why we’ve been using Figma with Tamagui as part of our modern app development workflow.

If you’re a business owner, product manager, or startup founder, this post explains what Figma with Tamagui is, why it matters, and how it helps us build apps faster and more reliably for our clients.

The Problem We See Over and Over

Traditionally, the workflow looks like this:

  1. Designers create screens in Figma
  2. Developers rebuild those screens from scratch in code
  3. Things don’t match perfectly
  4. Revisions pile up
  5. Timelines slip and costs increase

Even with great designers and great developers, the handoff itself creates friction.

Figma with Tamagui solves that problem.

What Is Figma?

Figma is the design tool most modern teams use to create:

  • App layouts
  • User interface components
  • Clickable prototypes

From our perspective as a coding shop, Figma is great—but only when it connects cleanly to code. On its own, it’s still just a design file.

What Is Tamagui?

Tamagui is a real production UI framework used to build applications with React and React Native.

What makes Tamagui different (and valuable to us) is that:

  • The same components work on web, iOS, and Android
  • Performance is excellent
  • Styling is consistent and predictable
  • It’s built for scalable design systems

In simple terms:
Tamagui is not mock code—it’s the actual code that ships.

What “Figma with Tamagui” Means in Practice

When we say Figma with Tamagui, we mean:

  • Figma components are designed to match Tamagui components
  • Design tokens (colors, spacing, typography) are shared
  • Developers are not guessing how things should be built
  • Designers are designing within real constraints

Instead of translating designs into code, we’re connecting design directly to production-ready components.

Why This Matters for Our Clients

1. Faster Builds = Lower Costs

Because we aren’t rebuilding UI from scratch:

  • Development moves faster
  • Fewer revisions are needed
  • Projects stay closer to budget

This is especially important for startups and small teams.

2. More Accurate Designs in the Final Product

What you approve in design is much closer to what ships.

That means:

  • Fewer “why does this look different?” conversations
  • Less back-and-forth late in the project
  • Cleaner final results

3. One System for Web and Mobile Apps

Using Tamagui allows us to:

  • Build web apps
  • Build iOS apps
  • Build Android apps
    …all from the same component system.

For clients, this means:

  • Consistent branding
  • Faster multi-platform launches
  • Easier long-term maintenance

A Simple Example (Optional, Non-Scary)

Here’s a very small example of what a Tamagui component looks like behind the scenes.

You don’t need to understand this—just know that this is real production code, not a mockup.

import { Button } from 'tamagui'export function PrimaryButton() {
  return (
    <Button
      backgroundColor="$blue10"
      color="white"
      borderRadius="$4"
    >
      Get Started
    </Button>
  )
}

That same button can be:

  • Designed in Figma
  • Used on the website
  • Used in the mobile app
  • Styled consistently everywhere

That’s the power of this approach.

Who Figma with Tamagui Is Best For

From our experience, this workflow is ideal for:

  • SaaS companies
  • Mobile app startups
  • Businesses building dashboards or internal tools
  • Companies planning both web and mobile products
  • Teams that want to move fast without sacrificing quality

If you’re building once and hoping to scale later, this approach pays off early.

Is There a Learning Curve?

Yes—but it’s on our side, not yours.

There’s upfront work in:

  • Defining design systems
  • Aligning design and development
  • Setting up shared components correctly

Once that’s done, everything moves faster.

Our clients mostly notice:

  • Shorter timelines
  • Fewer surprises
  • Cleaner UI
  • Easier future updates

Why We Use This Workflow as a Coding Shop

We don’t use tools because they’re trendy—we use them because they:

  • Reduce friction
  • Improve consistency
  • Scale better over time

Figma with Tamagui allows us to deliver:

  • Better apps
  • Faster builds
  • More predictable outcomes

That’s a win for us and for our clients.

Final Thoughts

Figma with Tamagui isn’t just a design trend—it’s a better way to build software.

By connecting design and code into a single system, we’re able to:

  • Build faster
  • Reduce errors
  • Deliver cleaner, more scalable products

If you’re planning a web app, mobile app, or both, this workflow is absolutely worth considering.

Building a web or mobile app?
We help companies turn designs into real, scalable products using modern workflows like Figma with Tamagui.

Contact us to talk through your project before you commit to a build.