How to brief a Shopify developer
A clear brief saves weeks. What to send before a Shopify project starts, from goals to store access.
The projects that go smoothly for us usually start with a good brief. It doesn't need to be long. It needs to answer a few questions that otherwise come up halfway through the build, when changing direction costs more.
What the store needs to do
Start with the goal, not the list of pages. "Customers can't find the right size and send a lot back" tells a developer more than "redesign the product page". If you have numbers from Shopify analytics, add them.
Examples you like, and why
Send two or three stores you like and say what you like about each one. "The filters on this collection page" is more useful than a link on its own.
Design files, or who makes them
If there is a Figma file, share the mobile frames too, not only desktop. If there isn't one, say so and decide who designs. Building from a finished design is faster, and the result is easier to check.
Content that's ready, and content that isn't
Product data, photos, texts in every language, policies. Missing content is the most common reason a launch slips. A simple list of what's ready and what comes later helps us plan around it.
Apps and integrations
List the apps you use and want to keep, and anything the store connects to, like an ERP, a shipping tool or email marketing. Some of these change how the theme has to be built.
Access
Give developers access with a collaborator account instead of sharing the owner login. The developer sends a collaborator request from their Shopify Partner account and you choose which parts of the admin they can see. It's safer, and you can remove the access when the work is done.
Who decides
Name one person who approves designs and sends feedback. When feedback comes from one place, you avoid two requests that cancel each other out.
If your brief comes with Figma files, here is how we take a design through to a live store: Figma to Shopify theme development.
