Designing and Prototyping Interfaces with Figma

Discover user experience and user interface design best practices while mastering a wide array of tools across Figma and FigJam with this full-color guide

Key Features

• Learn the basics of user experience research, result organization, and analysis in FigJam
• Create mockups, interactive animations, and high-fidelity prototypes using this platform-independent web application tool
• Collaborate with a team in real-time and create, share, and test your designs

Book Description

A driving force of the design tools market, Figma makes it easy to work with classic design features while enabling unique innovations and opening up real-time collaboration possibilities. It comes as no surprise that many designers decide to switch from other tools to Figma.

In this book, you'll be challenged to design a user interface for a responsive mobile application having researched and understood user needs. You'll become well-versed with the process in a step-by-step manner by exploring the theory first and gradually moving on to practice. You'll begin your learning journey by covering the basics of user experience research with FigJam and the process of creating a complete design using Figma tools such as Components, Variants, Auto Layout, and much more. You'll also learn how to prototype your design and explore the potential of community resources such as templates and plugins.

By the end of this Figma book, you'll have a solid understanding of the user interface workflow, managing essential Figma tools, and organizing your workflow.

What you will learn

• Explore FigJam and how to use it to collect data in the research phase
• Wireframe the future interface with shape tools and vectors
• Define grids, typography, colors, and effect styles that can be reused in your work
• Get to grips with Auto Layout and the constraints to create complex layouts
• Create flexible components using styles and variants
• Make your user interface interactive with prototyping and smart animate
• Share your work with others by exporting assets and preparing development resources
• Discover templates and plugins from the community

Who this book is for

This book is for aspiring UX/UI designers who want to get started with Figma as well as established designers who want to migrate to Figma from other design tools. This guide will take you through the entire process of creating a full-fledged prototype for a responsive interface using all the tools and features that Figma has to offer. As a result, this Figma design book is suitable for both UX and UI designers, product and graphic designers, and anyone who wants to explore the complete design process from scratch.

Table of Contents

1. Exploring Figma and Transitioning from Other Tools
2. Structuring Moodboards, Personas, and User Flows within FigJam
3. Getting to Know Your Design Environment
4. Wireframing a Mobile-First Experience Using Vector Shapes
5. Designing Consistently Using Grids, Colors, and Typography
6. Creating a Responsive Mobile Interface Using Auto Layout
7. Building Components and Variants in a Collaborative Workspace
8. User Interface Design on Tablet, Desktop, and the Web
9. Prototyping with Transitions, Smart Animate, and Interactive Components
10. Testing and Sharing your Prototype on Browsers and Real Devices
11. Exporting Assets and Managing the Handover Process
12. Discovering Plugins and Resources in the Figma Community