Figma is an ever-evolving, powerful design tool used by designers worldwide to create stunning user interfaces, web designs, and prototypes. Figma's compatibility with Windows, Linux, Chrome, and Mac allows designers to create designs on any device and easily share them with anyone who has access to a browser. With Figma being a cloud-based tool, there is no need for downloading software or worry about compatibility issues.
Figma is known for its ease of use, collaborative features, and the ability to design and prototype in one place. In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about Figma, from useful tools to good practices to creating and managing Design Systems.
To download Figma for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, simply follow this link.
Useful tools
Figma, as a design tool, offers a variety of features and functionalities that help designers create high-quality designs quickly and efficiently. Some of the most useful tools available in Figma include:
Figma Design Templates
Figma design templates are a great resource for designers who want to get started with their designs quickly. Figma has a vast library of design templates and UI Kits created by its community of designers. These templates cover a wide range of design categories, including mobile apps, websites, and social media. You can access these templates by going to the Figma Community section within the Figma app. Once there, you can search for templates by category or use the search bar to find specific templates. These templates are not only great starting points for your designs, but they also provide valuable insights into how other designers approach their work in Figma.
Find 4 UI Kits you can't miss.
In addition to the vast array of Figma templates available, Figjam also offers a variety of templates to help jumpstart your creative projects. These templates cover a range of topics, from brainstorming and mind mapping to user journey mapping and sprint planning. With these pre-made templates, you can easily collaborate with your team and organize your ideas in a clear and concise way.
Plugins
One of the greatest strengths of Figma is its ability to integrate with other tools and platforms, and this is thanks in part to its vast library of plugins. Figma plugins offer a wide range of functionality that can help designers automate repetitive tasks, add new features, and generally improve their workflow.
Plugins can be used for a variety of purposes, depending on the needs of the designer. For example, the Unsplash plugin is a popular choice for designers who need to quickly find and add images to their designs. With Unsplash, designers can search for and add free images without ever leaving the Figma platform.
Another popular plugin is Stark, which is designed to help designers create more accessible interfaces. Accessibility is an important consideration in modern design, and Stark provides a range of tools to help designers ensure that their designs are inclusive and accessible to all users.
Other notable Figma plugins include Content Reel, which helps designers quickly generate content for their designs, and the Lorem Ipsum generator, which generates placeholder text to help fill out a design.
There are also several plugins to easily convert your designs to code or to help with creating isometric designs. The Figma plugin library is constantly evolving, with new plugins being added all the time. This means that there is almost certainly a plugin out there that can help you solve your specific design challenge. And if there isn't, you can always create your own custom plugins using Figma's API.
Handoff Tools
While Figma is an excellent tool for designing interfaces, it doesn't provide all the functionality that's necessary for the full design and development cycle. That's where design handoff and collaboration tools come in.
Design handoff and collaboration tools such as Zeplin, Avocode, and Invision are specifically designed to help bridge the gap between designers and developers. They provide a platform for design handoff, code generation, and collaboration, allowing developers to easily access design specifications, assets, and code snippets generated from Figma designs.
One of the key benefits of using a design handoff and collaboration tool is that it can streamline the development process. By providing developers with easy access to design assets and specifications, these tools can help reduce the time and effort required to turn a design into a functional product.
Another benefit of using a design handoff and collaboration tool is that it can help ensure design consistency across multiple platforms and devices. With the increasing complexity of modern design projects, it's becoming more and more important to ensure that designs look and function consistently across a wide range of devices and platforms. By providing a single source of truth for design specifications and assets, these tools can help ensure that designs are consistent and cohesive.
Overall, if you're working on a complex design project that requires collaboration between designers and developers, a design handoff and collaboration tool can be an invaluable asset. By providing a platform for design handoff, code generation, and collaboration, these tools can help streamline the development process and ensure that your designs are consistent and cohesive across all platforms and devices.
Find out how to mix Figma with other cool design tools to step up your design game, and learn how to use Maze for usability testing.
Prototyping
Prototyping is an essential step in the design process, allowing designers to test and refine their designs before they are implemented. Figma is a powerful tool that offers a range of prototyping features, including the ability to create clickable prototypes. By using the interactive features of Figma, designers can create prototypes that closely resemble the final product and test them with users for feedback.
A versatile tool, it allows you to create various prototypes, from simple web pages to complex mobile apps. With Figma, you can prototype anything from UI components and interactions to entire user flows. Prototyping in Figma enables designers to create clickable and interactive designs that can be used for user testing and to obtain feedback.
Some examples of things you can prototype in Figma include login flows, onboarding processes, e-commerce checkouts, responsive web pages, and mobile app interactions. Figma's prototyping features enable you to create pop-ups, overlays, hover effects, and other interactive elements that simulate the functionality of a fully-realized product. Whether you're working on a small project or a large-scale application, Figma's prototyping tools provide designers with the flexibility and functionality to bring their designs to life and obtain valuable feedback from stakeholders and end-users.
Try our fun and quick tutorial on prototyping modals, buttons, and dropdowns or our practical guide on Figma components.
Prototyping in the Figma Mobile App
The Figma mobile app is a great way to stay productive and keep your design projects moving forward, even when you're away from your desktop computer. With the ability to access your designs and prototypes in mobile, you can work on the go and make adjustments to your designs as needed.
The mobile app is also a great tool for sharing your work with others and collaborating with team members, as it allows you to browse multiple workspaces and quickly share your designs with others. Additionally, the app lets you mirror frames from your desktop to your mobile device, making it easy to preview your designs on a mobile device and ensure they look great on all screen sizes.
Overall, the Figma mobile app is a must-have tool for any designer who wants to stay productive and work efficiently, no matter where they are.
Optimizing your Figma prototypes
To optimize your Figma prototypes, it is important to keep the user in mind. Designers should create prototypes that closely mimic the final product, with realistic interactions and user flows. Additionally, user testing should be conducted to gather feedback and ensure that the prototype meets user needs.
Figma Prototype Examples
Looking for inspiration? Figma's Community provides a wealth of resources, including examples of prototyping projects created by other designers. By exploring the Community, designers can gain insight into best practices and find inspiration for their own projects.
If you're looking to level up your prototyping game, make sure to check out our awesome guide on Figma prototyping, and our other guide on high-fidelity prototypes.
Good Practices
To make the most out of Figma and achieve a perfect workflow organization, it’s important to establish good practices in creating and organizing design elements.
Create and Organize Variants in Figma
Figma offers an efficient way to manage design elements through its variant feature. Variants enable designers to create and store multiple versions of an element in a single location, minimizing duplication of work and simplifying the design process. This feature allows for the creation of different states or iterations of a design element, such as color, text, or shape, that can be easily modified and updated. This can save a considerable amount of time and effort, especially when working on larger projects with multiple design elements.
Organization
In addition to creating and organizing variants, effective team, project, and file organization is essential for maximizing Figma's potential.
Collaborating with team members becomes easier when everyone is on the same page regarding file and project organization. For instance, creating clear and descriptive file names and grouping related files in a designated folder or project can help streamline the design process and reduce the risk of confusion or miscommunication.
Proper organization also makes it easier to locate and reuse assets, components, and styles across multiple projects, which can save time and improve design consistency.
To keep your projects properly organized, you can:
- Create a consistent naming convention for your files, pages, and frames to make them easy to find and organize.
- Use Figma's commenting and collaboration features to keep everyone on the same page and provide context for design decisions.
- Use Figma's Team Library feature to create a centralized library of design assets, components, and styles that can be shared across projects and teams.
- Create, document and maintain a design system in Figma to ensure consistency and efficiency across projects and teams.
- Use Figma's permissions settings to control who has access to specific projects, files, and resources, ensuring that sensitive information is kept secure.
Components, styles and libraries
Components, styles, and shared libraries are critical aspects of Figma design systems, and best practices in these areas can significantly improve your workflow.
To optimize your component architecture, you can create more complex components that contain multiple smaller components, maximizing modularity and reducing the number of components required.
A commonly used naming convention for Figma components is the "atomic design" naming convention, which uses a hierarchical naming structure to group components into categories based on their level of complexity. For example, a basic button component might be named "Button/Primary," while a more complex component like a navigation menu might be named "Navigation/Menu/Expanded." This naming convention helps designers quickly identify and locate the components they need, while also promoting consistency and organization across a design system.
Additionally, keeping a consistent naming convention for your components, styles, and shared libraries is essential for easy reference and maintenance. It is also recommended to have a team member responsible for maintaining and updating the shared library to ensure its accuracy and consistency across projects. Lastly, regularly auditing your components, styles, and shared libraries can help keep your design system up-to-date and efficient.
Exporting and Downloading your Figma Designs
When it comes to exporting your designs, Figma offers a range of options, including exporting to SVG format for use in other design tools or platforms. Additionally, Figma can be integrated with other design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, enabling designers to seamlessly move between tools and take advantage of each tool's unique features. Finally, Figma also allows for project downloads and exporting to HTML, providing flexibility in how you choose to share and use your designs.
Checkout also:
- From Adobe XD to Figma: How to Transfer Designs Effortlessly
- 5 Best Practices for Designing in Figma
- The High Importance of Running a Figma User Testing
Figma Design Systems
Design Systems enable teams to establish a shared set of design guidelines, principles, and assets that can be easily referenced and used by all members of the team. This can include everything from color palettes and typography to design components and layout grids.
Many designers consider Figma to be the best tool for creating a Design System due to its flexibility, collaborative features, and ability to manage and update design assets in real-time.
With Figma, designers can easily create and maintain a centralized library of reusable design elements that can be quickly and easily updated across all designs. This helps ensure that all designs adhere to the same set of design principles and standards, which can save time, reduce errors, and improve the overall quality of your designs.
Find out whether Figma or Adobe XD is the right choice for you, or check out other alternatives.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Figma has emerged as a leading design tool in recent years due to its user-friendly interface, versatile functionality, and collaborative features. Its growing popularity suggests that it may be the future of design, as more and more designers and teams adopt it as their go-to design platform.
"If you're interested in learning more about the world of design and Figma's role in it, tune in to episode 17 of the "Pixelated Perfect" podcast, where we delve into the topic of "Starting in Graphic Design, the UX boom & Friends of Figma.", to learn valuable insights and perspectives on the industry.
Whether you're a seasoned designer or just starting out, Figma is worth exploring as a tool to streamline your workflow and improve your design process.
