Rules to Better Figma

There are a few options when it comes to the best software for UI/UX design (the creation of mockups and prototypes in particular). The most popular are:

• V0.dev (recommended)
• Figma (recommended)
• Adobe XD
• Sketch (MacOS only)

Figma is a powerful design tool that offers several prototyping features that are valuable for UI designers. Here are a few of the top Figma prototyping features:

Best practices for prototyping:

Create interactive components

Add interactions to your Figma components (vs Frames) to create more dynamic and scalable interfaces. You can define different states of a component, such as default, hover, active or focus and make transitions between these states. This helps simulate how users interact with the final product, providing a more realistic representation of the user experience.

✅ Figure: Interactive connections between components

Design responsive layouts

Responsive design is the backbone of creating exceptional user experiences across various devices, and in the realm of design, Figma stands out as an invaluable tool for bringing this concept to life. Responsive design is not just about adapting to different screen sizes; it's about crafting interfaces that seamlessly adjust to diverse contexts, ensuring usability and visual coherence. Figma provides a comprehensive set of features that enable designers to create responsive layouts, preview designs across breakpoints, and streamline the entire responsive design process.

✅ Figure: SSW Rewards Admin responsive navigation

Bonus tips

• Start with low-fidelity prototypes
• Focus on key interactions
• Consider user flow and navigation
• Use realistic content
• Test on real devices
• Accessibility considerations
• Maintain consistency

Figma is a cloud-based design and prototyping tool that enables designers, developers, and teams to collaborate in real-time on the same design files.

It's widely used in the design industry for its simplicity, efficiency, and collaborative features. Figma is accessible through a web browser or desktop application, making it easy to work from anywhere.

Top 5 uses of Figma in a development project:

1. User Interface (UI) Design: Figma is primarily used for creating UI designs. Its intuitive interface allows designers to craft pixel-perfect layouts, design elements, and visual components for websites, web applications, mobile apps, and other digital products.

Figure: SSW Rewards mockup design

1. Prototyping: With Figma's powerful prototyping features, designers can create interactive prototypes demonstrating their designs' flow and functionality. This helps developers and stakeholders better understand the user experience and interactions before development begins.

Figure: SSW Rewards interactive prototype

1. Collaboration and Feedback: Figma's real-time collaboration capabilities enable multiple team members to work simultaneously on the same project. This fosters a collaborative environment where designers, developers, and other stakeholders can provide feedback, comment, and iterate on designs.

Figure: Real time feedback and collaboration

1. Design Systems: Figma is popular for building and maintaining design systems. Designers can create reusable components, styles, and libraries, streamlining the design process and ensuring consistency throughout the project.

Figure: Re-usable components

1. Developer Handoff: Figma simplifies the handoff process from design to development. Designers can generate design specs, export assets, and provide CSS code snippets to developers. This streamlines the communication between design and development teams, ensuring that the final product matches the intended design.

Figure: Figma in Dev mode

Figma's versatility, real-time collaboration, and design system capabilities make it a valuable tool in the design and development workflow, helping teams create high-quality digital products efficiently.

One of the biggest pain points during design-to-development handover is the loss of information or miscommunication between teams. Designers might create stunning designs, but without clear specifications, developers can struggle to implement them accurately. This often results in back-and-forth clarifications, missed deadlines, and frustration.

When a Figma file falls out of sync with the product, new team members (or clients) can quickly build the wrong mental model of how the app works today. A fast visual cue that indicates the mock-up is stale saves hours of rework and prompts people to validate the real experience in production.