UI UX Design is one of the most creatively and technically game-changing disciplines in the 21st century. It has witnessed the evolution of new trends and technologies and has adapted to encompass them within its huge ambit. While learning UI UX design, the most challenging yet rewarding and essential task is to master the top UI UX design tools and software. In this regard, Figma is one of the leading UI software that is preferred by most designers due to its efficiency and excellence. This article will present a Figma guide while acting as a preliminary handbook in Figma for beginners.
If there is one web-based application that you can rely on for your extensive UI design needs, it is Figma. It is an impressive design tool that allows a bunch of users to collaborate on UI design projects. Mastering Figma can enable you to create attractive and engaging websites, applications, or any of the other visual design elements. It is extremely useful at every stage of the design process and is highly preferred by users due to its flexibility and scope. Overall, Figma’s functionality and performance is smooth and incredibly efficient. If you’re looking for more features and benefits of Figma that make it the most sought-after UI UX design software.
FigJam – Figjam by Figma acts as a kind of whiteboard for users to be able to collaborate and collectively brainstorm ideas effectively. People can create flowcharts, mind maps, tables, etc. and work on projects with ease. There is also a voice chat as well as several reaction features to facilitate real-time interactions for enhanced planning. With FigJam, you can sketch out ideas and make working fun with quirky features.
Auto Layout – Auto Layout is an extremely dynamic and versatile feature in Figma. It helps you create adaptive designs that can automatically adjust and restructure for the elements to fit with each other. It is highly flexible, unique and complex in terms of UI design. Auto Layout can be applied to both components and frames, in order to make the components fit into the set frame or the frame to adjust to fit certain components. The distribution, spacing, resizing, alignment, etc. can be altered as per your needs.
Vector Networks – Vector networks are immensely useful in creating complex shapes, icons, logos, illustrations, etc. These basically consist of vector paths that form shape layers, also called vector networks. The best and most unique part about vector networks is that unlike vector paths, they do not necessitate particular directions and can comprise multiple distinctly directed paths without having them connect in some way. These vector networks can be created with the help of the Pen tool or the Shape Tool, which will be elaborated further in one of the following sections.
Real-Time Collaboration – With Figma, an entire team of several individuals can collaborate and work together on projects in real-time. Each person’s individual activity can be viewed by everyone and is updated in the project immediately. This avoids delays in communication and makes the entire design process immensely quick and efficient. Figma also has a comment tool that enables teams to communicate and point out specific things with ease.
Prototyping – Prototyping is the process of building a sample version of your final product or model. It is the preliminary step that helps designers study their designs, evaluate and assess their effectiveness and make relevant modifications in order to release well-rounded final products. Essentially, you can create a cohesive and flexible prototype on Figma.
User Testing – Once you have created your prototype, the next step is to test its functionality. With Figma’s UserTesting feature, you can target your audience and gain valuable feedback from them regarding your product or interface. A/B testing is one of the many ways of carrying out these tests and allows you to test two different versions of the same interface to analyze which version works best for you.
Responsive Design Features – Responsive design refers to the idea of creating designs that can alter themselves automatically in order to fit and work for different devices like mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Figma is probably the best UI UX design tool to enable designers to work with responsive design that is flexible and is optimized for a range of devices.
Learn Figma from highly experienced faculty at Digifine Academy of Digital Education (DADE). Digifine offers globally recognized UI UX design courses consisting of comprehensive modules that are taught using a practical approach. At Digifine, you get a chance to master some of the top industry-relevant UI UX design software like Figma, WordPress, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. The UI UX training given here equips you with in-depth knowledge by encouraging you to work on live and challenging projects that can help you build a dynamic portfolio. Besides this, the global industry exposure you get here boosts your learning immensely. By the end of your UI UX design classes, you earn several professional certifications and receive a 100% placement guarantee as well as post-course support. Learn more about our UI UX design course with placement below:
Courses – UI and UX design program
Modules covered – Figma, WordPress, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Features – 100% Placement Guarantee, 4+ Industry-Relevant Software, Global Recognition, Courses designed by Industry Experts, Practical Training, Friendly & Encouraging Environment, Comprehensive Modules, Professional Certifications, Post-Course Support, Highly Experienced Faculty, EMI option for fees payment, etc.
Frame Tool – Think of frames as containers that would store all your designs. On Figma’s canvas, you can create multiple frames within a single frame to create complex designs too. The frame tool gives you the chance to select the frame size, utilize auto layout, apply colors with Fill, and do a lot more.
Shape Tools – There are a number of basic shape vector tools like line, rectangle, ellipse, polygon, etc. that Figma offers to designers.
Pen and Pencil Tools – The pen and pencil tools in Figma help you draw freehand and even vector lines and shapes.
Some of the other self-explanatory tools in Figma include the eyedropper tool, text tool, create component tool, and a few more.Master UI UX design tools and learn Figma with the best figma courses in India at Digifine Academy!
Learning how E-Commerce helps a business grow, how to create a structured E-Commerce website to sell products/services, and the best advertising strategies for E-Commerce management.
Understanding how to create brand awareness and maintain positive reputation, reflecting core value of the brand through product/service offered to the target audience, learning about best techniques used.
Understanding how to conduct market research and how it helps in formulating optimum marketing strategies, learning data analysis and programming languages and implementing the insights derived into advertising.
Understanding decision making and goal planning in top management of major companies, learning the significance of strategic management in marketing, and formulating and implementing best advertising strategies.
Understanding the use of automation to buy advertising space on the internet, how to use Real Time Bidding, Media Planning and Pixel Setup best practices, learning to create Youtube Ads.
Learning to create structured and professional websites using the most used industry software, setting up and customizing websites, using plugins and effective techniques to engage and capture consumers.
Learning HTML codes for creating and structuring websites, learning CSS, best HTML practices for Search Engine Optimization.
Section 1: Introduction to UI/UX
1.1 Define UI/UX:
Explanation of UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) | Importance of a user-centric approach in design
1.2 Importance of Design:
How effective design enhances user perception and interaction | Case studies demonstrating successful design impact
Section 2: Understanding the Audience
2.1 User Personas:
Creating and understanding user personas | Influence of personas on design decisions
2.2 User Journey:
Introduction to user journey mapping | Understanding user expectations during website navigation
Section 3: WordPress UI/UX Environment
3.1 Explore the WordPress Dashboard:
Guided tour of WordPress dashboard | Purpose of various sections (editor, customizer)
3.2 Theme Selection:
Choosing a theme aligned with brand and goals | Highlighting themes with good UI/UX practices
Section 4: Wireframing and Prototyping
4.1 Introduction to Wireframing:
Importance of wireframing in design | Hands-on using tools like Balsamiq or Sketch
4.2 Prototyping:
Introducing prototyping tools for interactive designs | Role of prototypes in testing and refining user experience
Section 5: Typography and Color Theory
5.1 Typography Basics:
Choosing readable fonts | Typography’s contribution to overall design
5.2 Color Theory:
Teaching color theory principles | Guiding students in choosing a color scheme
Section 6: Layout and Composition
6.1 Grid Systems:
Introduction to grid systems for layout | Maintaining consistency and alignment
6.2 Visual Hierarchy:
Techniques for establishing visual hierarchy | Guiding users through content
Section 7: Interactive Elements
7.1 Buttons and Call-to-Actions:
Design principles for buttons and CTAs | Role of interactive elements in guiding user actions
7.2 Forms and User Input:
Best practices for designing user-friendly forms | Importance of feedback during form submission
Section 8: Responsive Design
8.1 Mobile-First Design:
Designing for mobile devices first | Using media queries for responsive design
8.2 Testing on Various Devices:
Demonstrating how to test designs on different devices | Utilizing browser developer tools for testing
Section 9: WordPress Customization
9.1 Customizer and Theme Options:
Using WordPress Customizer for live preview | Theme options for further customization
9.2 Widget Areas:
Explaining widget areas for adding dynamic content | Encouraging experimentation with widgets
Section 10: User Testing
10.1 Usability Testing:
Introducing usability testing concepts | Gathering feedback from potential users
10.2 Iterative Design:
Emphasizing iterative design based on user feedback | Implementing improvements in design
Section 11: WordPress Plugins for UX
11.1 SEO Plugins:
Importance of SEO and recommended plugins | Impact of SEO on user experience
11.2 Performance Optimization Plugins:
Introduction to Performance Optimization Plugins | Discussion on page speed and user satisfaction
Section 12: Portfolio Showcase
12.1 Project Showcase:
Assigning a project for designing the various brand brochures & websites | Encouraging students to showcase their work in a portfolio format
Section 13: Feedback and Critique
13.1 Group Critiques:
Conducting regular group critiques to discuss design choices | Encouraging constructive feedback and learning from peers
Section 14: Stay Updated
14.1 Industry Trends:
Discussing current UI/UX design trends | Encouraging exploration of design communities and resources
Section 15: Resources and Further Learning
15.1 Introduction to Design Tools:
Overview of design tools like Adobe XD, Figma (emphasizing Figma in
this course) | Hands-on exercises to familiarize students with Figma
Section 1: Introduction
Create a Black and White Image | Quickly improve images with Camera Raw | Speed up Photoshop | Discover Panel – Find hotkeys and panels fast!
Section 2: Get Started
Use Photoshop’s interface efficiently | Customize your workspace | Create a new project | Open images in Photoshop | Save your Photoshop work | Export your work in Photoshop | Get around Photo- shop fast-zoom-pan | Use the History Panel to fix your mistakes | How to use Undo in Photoshop | Resize an image | Crop and straighten photos | The proper- ties panel
Section 3: Layers Part 1
What Are Layers | Start Using Layers | Use the Layers Panel | Move Layers | Arrange Images Quickly | Layer Opacity vs. Fill
Section 4: Layers Part 2
Layer Types Explained | Customize the Layers Panel | Identify Layers | Filter Layers | Manipulate Layers – Free trans- form | Use of Blending Modes | Lock Layers
Section 5: Selections Part 1
Selections explained | Rectangular Marquee | Elliptical Marquee | Layer masks | Combine 2 images with layer masks | Quick Selection Tool and Magic Wand | Make an orange purple | Change the color of a t-shirt
Section 6: Selections Part 2
Lasso Tools | Pen Tool Overview | Direct & Path Selection Tools | Quick Mask Mode | Color range – Select a Color in a Photo | Remove Background | Save and Load Selections | Select and mask hair
Section 7: Raster Layers
Use the Brush Tool | Soften Skin Imperfections | Use the Eye Dropper & Swatches | Resolution vs Image Size | Color Replacement tool – Replace Color
Section 8: Shape Layers
Create Shapes | Modify Shapes | Use Custom Shapes | Design Shapes | Generate Guides from Shapes | Place Images in Shapes Clipping Mask vs Layer Mask vs Vector Mask
Section 9: Artboards
Introduction | Find out how artboards can help you | The hidden value of artboards | Creating and resizing artboards | Duplicate artboards and using guides | Export- ing artboards
Section 10: Creative Layer Styles (Effects)
Introduction | Download and Scale Layer Styles | Create Gold Text Effect | Embed Text in Photos-displace | Use Global Light | Neon Effect
Section 11: Work with Smart Objects
Smart Objects Explained | Linked Smart Objects | Create a realistic mockup | Filters with Smart Objects
Section 12: Repair Your Photos
Remove Skin Issues (Spot Healing Brush, Healing Brush) | Remove Watch and Necklace (Clone Stamp Tool) | Clean Up Face Imperfections (Frequency Retouch- ing) | Remove anything from photo (Con- tent Aware Fill) | Move People in Photos (Content Aware Tool) | Dodge, Burn, Sponge tools | Remove Red Eyes from Photos | Patch Tool
Section 13: Actions
Create an action | Resize lots of images
Section 14: Text Layers
Text layers explained | Font types | Get New Fonts | Learn Typography Best Practices | Combine Fonts | Identify a Font | Stay consistent in your projects – styles
Section 15: Adjustment Layers
Solid-Gradient-Pattern | Enhance faded photos | Change object color-Hue-Saturation | Change Environment – Color Balance | Black n White, Color mixer, Photo filter | Lookup Tables-LUTs
Section 17: Camera Raw – Edit Your Photos
Camera Raw – introduction | Raw image format vs JPEG | My workflow in Camera Raw | The two keys to camera raw edits | One-click wonders in Camera Raw | Graduated filter and the before/after shot
Section 18: Cloud Documents
What are cloud documents? | Saving to the cloud vs locally (on your computer) | Version history | The biggest drawback with cloud documents
Section 19: Effects
Reshape faces | Create a lens flare | Blur & Blur Gallery
Section 1: Introduction
Introduction to Figma Essentials training course | Getting started with Figma training | What is Figma for & does it do the coding? | What’s the difference between Ul and UX in Figma | What we are making in this Figma course | Class project 01- Create your own brief
Section 2: Wireframing – Low Fidelity
What is Lo Fi Wireframe vs High Fidelity | Creating our design file & introducing frames
Section 3: Type, Color & Icon Introduction
The basics of type & fonts | Rectangles Circles Buttons Rounded corners | How to use color | Strokes plus updating color defaults | Object editing and how to escape | Scale vs Selection Tool | Frames vs Groups | Class project 02- Wireframe | Where to get Free icons for Figma | Matching the stroke of our icons | How to use Plugins in Figma for icons | Class project 03 – Icons
Section 4: Pages
How to use Pages
Section 5: Prototyping – Level 1
How to prototype | Prototype animation and easing | Testing on your phone with Figma Mirror | Class project 04 – Testing on your phone
Section 6: Animation Level 1
What is Smart Animation & delays | Class project 05 – My first animation
Section 7: Commenting
Sharing & Commenting on Figma file with Stakeholders | Share editing with other UX designers in Figma
Section 8: Moodboard – High Fidelity
How I get inspiration for UX projects | How to create a mood board | Class Project 06 – Moodboard
Section 9: Columns
How to work with Columns & Grid
Section 10: Colors
Color Inspiration & the eyedropper | How to create a color palette | How to make gradients | How to create & use Color Styles | Class Project 07 – Colors & Columns
Section 11: Text & Fonts Advanced
Font on Desktop vs Browser Figma | What fonts can I use plus font pairing in Figma | What common font sizes should I choose in web design | How to make Character Styles | Lorem ipsum & Placeholder text | Useful things to know about text | How fix missing fonts | Class project 08 – Text
Section 12: Drawing
Drawing tips and tricks | Squircle buttons with ios rounded courses | Boolean Union Subtract Intersect Exclude Pathfinder | What is the difference Union vs Flatten Figma | Class Project 09 – Making stuff | Smart Selection & Tidy up
Section 13: Working with Illustrator
Do you need to know Illustrator with Figma
Section 14: Images
Tips & tricks for using images | Masking Cropping images | Free image & plugin
Section 15: Working with Photoshop
Do you need Photoshop for UX Design in Figma? | Class Project 10 – Images
Section 16: Autolayouts & Constraints
Autolayout & Constraints | Class project 11 – Buttons | Auto Layout for spacing | How to use constraints | Combining Nested frames Auto Layout & Constraints | Adding Text Box Autoheight to Autolayout | Class Project 12 – Responsive Design | Nice drop shadow & Inner drop shadow effects
Section 17: Effects
Blur Layer & Background Blur & Image Blur | How to make Neumorphic ui buttons | Class project 13 – Effects
Section 18: Saving & History
How to save locally & save history
Section 19: Components & Instances
What are components | Updating & Changing & Resetting your components | You can’t kill main components | Where should you keep your main components | Intro to the forward slash / naming convention | Class Project 14 – Components
Section 20: Variants
How to make component variants | Another way to make variants | How to make a Multi Dimensional Variant | Class Project 15 – Variants
Section 21: Making a form
How to make a form using variants | Class Project 16 – Form | Putting it all together in an desktop example
Section 22: Prototyping – Level 2
How to add a popup overlay modal | How to make & prototype a tool tip | What are Flows | Slide in mobile nav menu overlay | Class project 17 – Prototyping | How to pin navigation to top | How to make horizontal scrolling swipe | Automatic scroll down the page to anchor point
Section 23: Animation & Micro Interactions
The difference between animation & micro interactions | Animation with custom easing | Class Project 18 – My Second Animation Make animated transitions | Class Project 19 – Page transition | Micro interactions using interactive components | Micro interaction toggle switch | Micro Interaction burger menu turned into cross | Class Project 20 – Micro interaction
Section 24: How to share you document
Talking to your developer early in the figma design process | Sharing Figma with developers & engineers handoff
Section 1: Introduction
What is Graphic Design? Introduction to Adobe Illustrator | Vector Graphics vs Raster Graphics
Section 2: Basics
Interface Overlook | Create and Save New Document | Customize your workspace | Navigation – Zoom Tool & Pan Tool
Section 3: Working with Objects
Selection Tool | Transformations | Group, Ungroup | Copy, Paste, Paste in Place | Basic Shapes | Shape builder tool | Path- finder | Aligning and Distributing Objects
Section 4: Drawing
Direct Selection Tool | Pen Tool | Anchor point Tool | Pen Tool alternatives | Curvature Tool | Symmetrical drawing | Concentric drawing techniques
Section 5: Appearance of Objects
Stroke settings, width tool | Swatches | Gradients | Layer Panel | Appearance panel | Effects | 3d
Section 6: Brushes
Calligraphic Brushes | Scatter Brushes | Art Brushes | Bristle Brushes | Pattern Brushes | Image Brushes | Strokes on image
Section 7: Images
Working with Images | Preparing simple images for tracing | Preparing complex images for tracing | Image Trace
Section 8: Type
Types of Typefaces | Character formatting | Paragraph formatting | Using Text styles
Fonts | Variable and SVG Fonts | Touch Type | Type on a Path | Type and Shapes | Warp Text | Create Outlines from Text | Image within Text | Text Wrap
Section 9: Advanced Techniques
Introduction to Masking | Clipping Mask | Opacity Mask | Recolor Artwork | Puppet Warp tool | Symbols | Symbol Tools | Dis- tort and Transform tools | Graphs | Blend- ing Objects | Creating Patterns | Refining Pattern Design | Gradient Mesh | Freeform Gradients | Perspective-Intro | Perspective Drawing | Transform Tools (scale and shear tool) | Transform each effect
Section 10: Artboards & Export
Artboards | Saving work for Print | Saving work for Web | Export for Screens