Figma Prototyping: A deep dive for UX/UI Designer

Explore the Figma prototype workspace by switching between design and prototype tabs, configuring prototype settings, and building flows, interactions, animations, and scrolling across frames.

Set up prototypes in a dedicated Figma file by copying screens, creating a home page, or an entire file, so you can iterate multiple versions without cluttering designs.

Explore how to set up device previews in Figma, preview iPhone 14 and MacBook Air screens, and manage per-page prototype settings to keep mobile and desktop views separate.

Set up a fixed header and add button while the content scrolls, using vertical scrolling, clipping, and fix stay in place in a Figma prototype.

Learn to implement sticky headers and sections in figma prototyping by using vertical scrolling, clipped frames, and layer order to keep elements at the top during scroll.

Master nesting frames in Figma to present prototypes in context, combining fixed and scrollable elements, mockups, headlines, and image placements with presentation mode and presets.

Explore vertical, horizontal, and combined scroll behaviors in Figma by using clipped content and nested frames to create precise, scrollable prototypes.

Link screens in Figma by selecting shapes in prototype mode, dragging connectors to destination frames, and configuring triggers, actions, and animations (including dissolve and smart animate) for smooth navigation.

Discover how the back action simplifies prototypes by returning to the previously opened frame, not the home screen, using on click or on tab.

Prototype internal scrolling in Figma by linking a circle to a frame element, using scroll to with offsets, and animating with ease out for one-page navigation.

Explore how to create and configure overlays in Figma, including positioning, auto close on outside click, background options, and dissolve animations for interactive menus and newsletter subscriptions.

Discover how to link to external pages and internal screens in Figma prototyping by using text links, card interactions, and the prototyping menu to open URLs.

Explore action triggers for prototypes: on click navigates to a detail screen, on drag switches articles and videos with push animation, and keyboard enter uses dissolve.

Explore Figma animation options, including instant, dissolve, smart animate, and moving transitions such as move in, move out, push, and slide in, demonstrated with tooltips and overlays.

Explore easing and spring animations in Figma, comparing linear defaults, inbuilt presets, ease in and out, and custom spring controls.

Learn how sections in Figma support stateful design by routing sign-up flows through a section, preserving form state across overlays and back navigation.

Create and manage multiple flows in Figma to segment your prototype, attach flows to frames, rename and reorder them, add testing descriptions, and share direct flow links.

Embed videos in Figma using fill on paid pro plan; supports mp4 or gif under 30 mb, with resize and mask, and autoplay, loop, sound controls playback in presentation mode.

Preview your prototypes on mobile by installing the Figma mobile app, logging in with your Figma account, and mirroring desktop frames to test touch targets and sizing on real devices.

Master smart animate in Figma to prototype by linking frames and animating differences with matching layers, adjusting position, size, color, and rotation for smooth transitions.

Combine smart animate with moving transitions to swipe between articles and videos using on drag triggers, while keeping top filters in place with matching layers.

Explore the limitations of smart animate in Figma prototyping, including no ability to animate from one shape to a different shape, naming and hierarchy requirements, overlay limitations, and background transitions.

Build a smart animate photo filtering app from scratch, with a splash screen, filterable home, and a detail view featuring horizontal image previews.

Design for purpose in Figma and animate with purpose and code in mind, follow the common fate principle for consistent interactions, and plan early with development about animation libraries.

Explore interactive components by building reusable animations inside component sets with variants, then configure hover, click, and drag states using smart animate for consistent behavior across instances.

Explore nesting interactive and animated components in Figma prototyping, combining frames and component instances to build and adjust toggle switches, lists, and buttons.

Master hover and zoom animations in Figma using interactive components, smart animate, and overrides. Learn to maintain default and hover states, enlarge images, and apply auto layout with component sets.

Prototype video interactions in Figma by swapping a still image to video on hover, using a variance component set with smart animate and optional reset.

Explore interactive components and auto layout in figma to create smart animate prototypes, using frames, deletion, and drag animations to build responsive, realistic ux.

Learn to use funnel components in Figma prototyping to connect navigation across pages. Wrap the main component in a funnel to propagate changes and open overlays like the newsletter.

Explore the powerful concept of variables in Figma prototyping, first seen in late June 2023, and know that a separate deep dive covers this topic.

Learn to prototype with variables in Figma, binding size values to buttons to resize a square, and set up default and reset flows with live previews.

Swap variants with variables in Figma prototyping by binding a string variable to a component set. Wire interactions to set the variant name and display chosen variant (orange, red, blue).

Learn to prototype in Figma using expressions to combine calculations with variables, such as a counter with plus and minus controls, and bind values to text and shapes.

Prototype in Figma by chaining expressions to update a running total with plus and minus buttons. Bind price and total as variables so changing the price updates every calculation.

Set up a counter variable with plus and minus controls and a 500 threshold that navigates to a win screen when reached, using a conditional action and booleans.

Demonstrates prototyping with booleans and conditional statements to toggle a free shipping state based on a total price threshold, updating a single page UI in Figma.

Share and organize your Figma prototypes by documenting mobile and desktop flows, linking flow overviews, and using presentation mode to present an interconnected, test-ready prototype.

Learn to share Figma prototypes by generating share links for prototyping view, choosing display size and flows, and controlling view permissions for editors or viewers.

Document interactions in Figma, including micro interactions and hover states, by organizing component sets on frames, detailing properties, and describing animations for handoff to development.

Embed figma prototypes and design documentation in external docs using zeroheight, connect figma to apps like Notion or Confluence, and showcase components, states, and hover interactions.

Finish this course and share your feedback to enhance your understanding of Figma prototyping and UX/UI design; explore additional courses on UX, UI, Figma, and code basics at MU Learning.