Send approval request email to client if design mockup is uploaded before sharing with development team on slack
When a new design mockup row is added to your Google Sheet, FlowMattic emails the client an approval request, waits for their answer, and shares the approved mockup with developers in Slack.
Google Sheets
Human in the Loop
Slack3 steps Setup ~5 min Used on 2.9k sites Productivity Free to import
What this workflow does
Developers who start building from a mockup the client hasn't signed off on often have to redo the work. This workflow puts the client's approval between the designer and the development team. Your designers log each finished mockup in a Google Sheet, and the dev team only hears about it once the client says yes.
The Google Sheets New Spreadsheet Row trigger fires when a new row is added to the sheet you connect. Use a sheet that holds only mockup entries, with columns such as project, client email and mockup link, because every new row starts the approval process.
The Human in the Loop Get Approval on Email step sends the client an approval request and waits for a response. A rejection ends the run, so the developers aren't told. If the client doesn't answer before the timeout, the default timeout action is Skip and Continue to Next Step, which would post to Slack without approval; set it to End Workflow to prevent that.
After approval, the Slack Send Channel Message step posts to your development channel. None of the three steps is mapped in the template, so choose the sheet, map the client's email and the mockup link into the approval request, and write the Slack message.
Agency web projects
A web agency's designer adds a row with the homepage mockup link, the client approves it by email, and the developers get the link in their Slack channel.
App screens signed off one by one
A product studio logs each app screen as its own row, so the client approves screens separately and developers start on the ones that pass.
Freelance designer with a dev partner
A freelancer who hands builds to a partner developer only shares designs in their joint Slack once the client has clicked approve.
How this workflow runs
What happens at each step once the workflow is on, and what you need before you import it.
Google Sheets New Spreadsheet RowStarts a run for each row added to your connected Google Sheet. Keep the sheet for mockups only, with the client's email and the mockup link in their own columns.
- Human in the Loop Get Approval on Email
Emails the client an approval request and waits for their answer. A rejection ends the run. Map the client's email and mockup link after import, and set the timeout action to End Workflow.
- Slack Send Channel Message
Posts the approved mockup to your development team's Slack channel. Choose a public channel and write the message after import, mapping in the project name and mockup link from the sheet.
What you need
- FlowMatticCore
- Google Sheets AccountAccount
- Slack AccountAccount
After importing, map your own data. To keep the template universal, not every step is pre-filled. Open each step in the builder and connect your accounts and fields (channels, lists, sheets, recipients) before you switch the workflow on.
Make it yours
Changes worth making after you import it.
- Set the Human in the Loop timeout action to End Workflow, so a client who never replies doesn't send the mockup to developers by default.
- Put the mockup link and a short description in the approval email, so the client can review the design without asking where to find it.
- Add a status column to the sheet and update it by hand after each decision, so the designers can see which mockups are approved.
Questions about this workflow
What happens when the client rejects the mockup?
The rejection ends the run, so nothing is posted to Slack. The designer can revise the mockup and add a new row to request approval again.
Does every new row in the Google Sheet send an approval email?
Yes. Each added row starts a run, so use a sheet or tab reserved for mockups and don't add other rows to it.
What if the client never answers the approval email?
By default the timeout action is Skip and Continue to Next Step, so the Slack post would go out. Change it to End Workflow if mockups should only reach developers after a yes.
Can developers get the mockup in a private Slack channel?
The template uses Send Channel Message for public channels. Swap in Slack's Send Private Channel Message action if your dev channel is private.
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