6. Conclusion

This chapter reflects on the journey of developing the Kolibri Sync Figma plugin, focusing on what we learned technically, as a team, and personally

What We Learned: Technical Insights

A central learning was choosing the right tooling for a lean, iterative workflow. We deliberately avoided heavy npm dependency chains and instead bundled with Bun. We deepened our understanding of the Figma plugin architecture and API. Working hands-on with design tokens and styles taught us where the API is expressive, where it has constraints, and how to model CSS variables and palettes so they stay coherent between code and design. Along the way, our JavaScript and modern CSS skills matured. We learnt about modern CSS functions to handle tokens and palettes more elegantly. Shell scripting also proved useful for automating tasks. Overall, these choices improved maintainability, made iteration fast, and gave us a clearer mental model of what a Figma plugin is in practice.

What We Learned: Project Management and Collaboration

Our process was intentionally agile, with weekly check-ins that created a steady feedback loop that keep the project moving without long periods of uncertainty. Transparent project management in Notion made a tangible difference. We always knew who was working on what, what was blocked, and what success looked like for the next increment. The shared backlog and status visibility were motivating and created accountability without bureaucracy. Starting with a working prototype alongside the theory paid off as well, seeing features run in Figma turned abstract ideas into concrete design and engineering decisions, accelerating learning and de-risking the solution.

Just as importantly, collaboration was enjoyable. We worked as a supportive pair, aligned on goals, and comfortable challenging each other’s assumptions. That atmosphere made it easier to adopt best practices and to iterate quickly when something did not land as expected.

What We Learned: Design Systems and Best Practices

Building Kolibri Sync strengthened our grasp of design systems and design tokens in a real environment. We learned how to sync CSS variables and styles and how to generate palettes that remain consistent as they move between Figma and code.

Guidance from our supervisors elevated our standards. On the code side, we adopted practices that improved readability, robustness, and testability. On the design side, we refined flows, UI patterns, and token structures to make the plugin intuitive and coherent. That combination, engineering best practices together with design best practices, produced a cleaner architecture and a more usable tool.

The result is not just a functioning plugin but a better understanding of how design tokens operationalize a design system, and how disciplined engineering and design collaboration turn that system into something practical for everyday work.

Personal Reflections and Impact on Future Goals

We both had a lot of fun with this project, that we even went out of scope of the 360 hours per student requirement. Working hands-on, from an early prototype to a polished tool, was motivating and rewarding. The steady rhythm of incremental progress and the close collaboration made the work engaging, and the direct feedback loops with supervisors helped us grow faster than we expected.

The confidence we gained from building Kolibri Sync end-to-end makes us excited to tackle similarly complex problems in the next steps of our academic and professional journeys.