Introduction to Figma: A Beginner's Guide to UI Design

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 11 July 2023 9 min read

Getting started with a new tool can sometimes feel like learning a new language. But don't fret, this beginner's guide to Figma is here to help! With this figma intro, you'll be designing user interfaces like a pro in no time. Let's dive right in and get acquainted with Figma.

1. Get Acquainted with Figma

Before we get our hands dirty with designing, it's important to know what Figma is and what makes it a great tool for UI design. We'll also take a quick tour of the Figma interface to familiarize ourselves with its environment.

What is Figma?

Figma is a cloud-based design tool that allows designers to collaborate in real-time. It's like the Google Docs of design—allowing you to design, prototype, and get feedback all in one place. Here's what you need to know about Figma:

Figma is cloud-based: This means all your work is saved on the cloud. You can access it from any device with an internet connection.
Real-time collaboration: You can share your designs with your team and work together in real time. No more emailing files back and forth!
Design and prototype in one place: With Figma, you don't need separate tools for designing and prototyping. You can do it all in Figma.

Why Use Figma?

Now that we understand what Figma is, let's look at why you should use it for your UI design needs. Here are a few reasons:

Ease of use: Figma's interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy for beginners to get started.
Collaboration: Figma allows multiple users to work on a design simultaneously. This makes it perfect for team projects.
Versatility: With Figma, you can create anything from wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes. It's a one-stop-shop for all your design needs.

Figma Interface Overview

Alright, it's time for a quick tour of the Figma interface. Here are the key areas to familiarize yourself with:

The toolbar: Located at the top of the screen, this is where you'll find tools for shapes, text, and more.
The canvas: This is the large area in the center of the screen where you'll do your actual designing.
The layers panel: Located on the left side, this panel shows you all the layers in your design.
The properties panel: Located on the right side, this panel lets you adjust the properties of the selected layer.

Now that we've covered the basics, you're well on your way to mastering this figma intro. Let's move on to setting up your first project!

2. Set Up Your First Project

With the Figma intro basics under your belt, it's time to jump into action and create your first project. This process can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be, but don't worry, we're going to walk through it step by step.

Create a New Project

Starting a new project in Figma is as easy as pie. Here's how you can do it:

Open Figma and click on the '+' icon in the top left corner. This will create a new file in your Drafts folder.
Give your new file a name. Remember, a descriptive name will help you find it later.
Now, you're all set! The blank canvas in front of you is where all the magic will happen.

Design File Organization

Keeping your files organized is key to maintaining a smooth workflow. In Figma, you can organize your designs using Frames, Groups, and Layers. Think of it as organizing a physical folder—except it's all digital:

Frames: Frames are like artboards in other design software. They define the workspace where you'll place your design elements.
Groups: Grouping allows you to bundle related elements together. This is handy when you want to move or transform multiple elements at once.
Layers: Layers represent each element in your design. Figma automatically lists your layers in the order they are stacked on the canvas.

By keeping things tidy with these organization tools, you'll avoid unnecessary confusion and keep your focus on the design itself.

Alright, we've set up our first project. What's next in this figma intro? Let's master some basic tools!

3. Master Basic Tools

Now that you've got your first project set up, let's introduce you to some of the basic tools in Figma. Like a painter needs a brush, a designer needs their tools, and Figma has quite the selection. So, without further ado, let's dive in!

Selection and Frame Tools

First things first, let's talk about the Selection and Frame tools. These are the bread and butter of your Figma intro toolkit:

Selection Tool: It's as simple as it sounds. This tool allows you to select elements in your design. You can click an element to select it or drag a selection box around multiple elements.
Frame Tool: Remember when we talked about frames in the file organization section? This is the tool you use to create them. You can define the size of your frame, and it will act as your workspace.

These tools might seem basic, but they are fundamental to your work in Figma.

Shape and Vector Tools

Next up are the Shape and Vector tools. These allow you to add different shapes or create custom paths in your designs:

Shape Tools: Figma offers a variety of shape tools, such as rectangles, ellipses, polygons, and lines. Use these to add shapes to your canvas quickly.
Vector Tool: This tool is your best friend when it comes to creating custom shapes. The vector tool lets you draw freely and create unique paths.

Playing with shapes is a lot of fun, and it's a big part of design. Don't be afraid to get creative with it!

Text and Color Tools

Last but not least, let's talk about the Text and Color tools. These tools will add life and personality to your designs:

Text Tool: This tool is pretty self-explanatory. It allows you to add text to your designs. You can customize the font, size, style, and more.
Color Tool: This tool lets you choose the color of your elements. Figma offers a color picker for precise selection and the ability to save favorite colors for future use.

With these tools at your disposal, you can start bringing your designs to life. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to experiment and explore different possibilities.

Now, what's the next step in this Figma intro journey? Let's move on to designing with components!

4. Design with Components

You're getting the hang of this Figma intro! Next up is a game-changer: components. Components allow you to create reusable elements that you can use throughout your designs. It's like having a personal library of bits and pieces that you've designed and can use any time. Let's dig in.

What are Components?

Components in Figma are reusable elements you create. Components can be anything from buttons to text fields, menus, headers, and more. The beauty of components is that when you edit the main component, all the instances where you've used that component will update automatically. Talk about a time saver, right?

Here's an example: Imagine you've designed a button and used it in several places in your design. But now, you want to change the color of that button. Instead of changing the color of each button individually, you can edit the main component, and Figma will update all the instances for you. Isn't that cool?

Create and Use Components

Creating components in Figma is pretty straightforward. You create an element, select it, and then click the "Create Component" button in the toolbar. And voila, you've got yourself a component! You can now find this component in the "Assets" tab and drag it onto your canvas whenever you need it.

Using components is just as easy. As we mentioned, you can simply drag and drop them onto your canvas from the "Assets" tab. You can also duplicate an instance of a component on the canvas by selecting it and pressing Command + D (or Control + D on Windows).

Components are a powerful tool in Figma. They not only save you time but also ensure consistency across your designs. It's like having a team of tiny helpers working for you!

Now that we've covered components, let's move on to creating responsive designs in Figma. Are you ready?

5. Create Responsive Designs

Now that you've mastered components—congratulations on that, by the way—it's time to level up your Figma intro journey. Let's talk about creating responsive designs. This is a vital skill in UI design, as it ensures your designs look great on all devices. Let's break it down.

Understanding Constraints

Constraints in Figma are rules that you set for how an element should behave when its parent frame is resized. You can set constraints for both the width and height of an element, as well as its position relative to its parent frame.

For example, if you have a button that you want to stay in the bottom right corner of a frame, no matter how the frame is resized, you can set the constraints to "Right" and "Bottom". This way, even if the frame is stretched or shrunk, the button stays pinned to the bottom right. Quite handy, isn't it?

Design for Different Screens

Designing for different screen sizes is a breeze with Figma. Thanks to constraints and components, you can create designs that adapt to various screen sizes without much hassle.

Let's say you're designing a mobile app. You can start by designing for a specific screen size—maybe an iPhone 12. But what about other devices? No worries! You can duplicate your design and adjust the frame size to match another device, like an iPad or an iPhone SE. Thanks to the constraints you've set, your design elements will adjust accordingly. It's like magic!

And with that, we've covered the basics of creating responsive designs in Figma. You're doing great—let's keep the momentum going as we delve into collaboration with teams.

6. Collaborate with Teams

Alright, picture this: You've designed a brilliant UI, but you didn't do it alone. You're part of a team, and Figma knows that. The platform offers a wealth of features to help teams collaborate effectively. Let's see how this works within your Figma intro journey.

Sharing your designs with your team is a breeze in Figma. You simply need to click on the 'Share' button in the top right corner of your project screen, and voila! You can invite team members via their email addresses or share a link directly.

Now here's the fun part: Figma allows for live, on-the-spot feedback. Team members can leave comments directly on your design. Need to highlight a specific part of your design for feedback? Just pin the comment to the relevant spot. It's that easy. This makes the feedback process far less painful and much more efficient than traditional methods.

Real-Time Collaboration

One of the standout features of Figma is its real-time collaboration. Think of it like Google Docs for design. Multiple team members can work on a design simultaneously, with each member's cursor visible in real-time. It's a game-changer for design teams—especially those working remotely.

Imagine this: You're working on a design, and your team member in another city—or even another country—can jump into the file and make edits alongside you. No more waiting for files to be emailed back and forth. It's seamless, it's efficient, and it's just one more reason why Figma is a tool worth mastering.

Now that we've covered collaboration, it's time to explore how to wrap up your projects by exporting assets. Ready to wrap this up? Let's dive in.

7. Export Assets

Every great design project ends with the final act of exporting assets. It's like the curtain call in a play, or the final whistle in a football game. In your Figma intro journey, understanding how to export assets efficiently can save you a ton of time. Let's break it down.

Exporting Design Assets

First things first: Figma supports a variety of formats for exporting assets, including PNG, JPG, SVG, and PDF. To export an asset, you simply select the layers or objects you want to export, click on the 'Export' button, choose your preferred format, and you're off to the races. It's as easy as pie, right?

But there's more. You can also adjust the settings for each format. This includes resolution for raster formats (like PNG and JPG) or simplifying vector data for SVG exports. And you can even export multiple variants of an asset at once. Say you need a smaller version of an image for mobile screens and a larger one for desktops, Figma lets you do that in one go. Now, that's what I call convenience!

Prepare Designs for Development

Once you've got your assets exported, it's time to prepare your designs for development. This is where your careful planning and organization in Figma will pay off.

With Figma, you can create a 'handoff' for developers. This is a special view of your design file that includes all the information a developer needs to turn your design into a working product. It provides details about the design's layout, typography, colors, and more. Even better, developers can copy CSS, Swift, or Android XML code right from this view. That's right, Figma does some of the coding work for you!

And that, my friend, wraps up our Figma intro. From setting up your first project to collaborating with teams and finally exporting assets, you've covered a lot of ground. Now, it's time to take these skills and start creating some amazing designs. Remember, practice makes perfect, so dive in and start designing with Figma.

If you're just starting out with Figma and want to learn more about UI design, don't miss Ansh Mehra's workshop, 'Basics of Figma for Absolute Beginners.' This workshop is perfect for those who are new to Figma and want to gain a strong foundation in UI design. Dive in and start exploring the world of Figma today!