Below-listed are recommendations collected to address the challenge of completing creative design to a point that front-end/UI developers can start implementation. 

Envisioning-related

1. Involve UI developers (UI) EARLY in the design strategy process so s/he can advise regarding what technology is/isn't supported (i.e. AJAX, javascript, flash).  Advantage:  prevents having this discussion after design is "done" and gets UI buy-in/sign-off concurrent w/ management sign-off.
2. Design, prototype, and demo to everyone on the team.  Advantage:  help product owners, stakeholders, and users more easily envision how the product will look and to some extent function and b) get UI & programmer buy-in on design and support more accurate swags.
3. Set up adhoc usability studies to help guide design and backlog prioritization.  Involve UI and programmers to view or participate in holding usability studies.  Advantage:  get UI & programmer buy-in on design.

4. Define "done" from a creative design perspective - strike a balance between good enough and perfect.  Can time-box design effort. 

Planning-related

1.  Prioritize the Product Backlog (!!!).  Advantage:  design team gets a heads up on highest priority user stories.  The author of this wiki page needs to educate her management that we're the only one at this conference that does not prioritize their backlog (it's a priority bucket).  

2.  Side bar re:  how to motivate management/Product to prioritize the backlog: 

• have Programmers prioritize for management/Product  (no way they will stand for that!)
• come up w/ creative ideas on how to make prioritization fun/easier (matrix stories to make the value/benefit of more obvious so it's easier to rank stories, there's also the post-it approach)

3.  Help product owners & creative designers break a page down into smaller components (user stories).

4.  These user stories can be implemented and demonstrated to everyone on the team in pieces instead of waiting for a full page demo.

5.  Create a "sprint 0" whereby creative design's user stories are completed in "sprint 0" in preparation for a subsequent sprint.

6.  Product owners can...

• share early and often - don't wait until backlog prioritization
• stay involved during design and UI implementation

7.  Create and maintain a style guide for a common reference