1:24:21
How to use Figma for UX? Complete Design Course by Cutting Edge School
The Cutting Edge School
Overview
This video serves as a comprehensive introduction to Figma for UX design, emphasizing practical application over superficial feature coverage. It guides beginners through Figma's interface, core concepts like raster vs. vector graphics, and essential tools. The course aims to equip learners with the skills to use Figma effectively for real-world design projects, distinguishing the tool from the discipline of UX design itself. It covers file creation, navigation, basic tools (move, frame, shapes, text), and introduces fundamental concepts like constraints and the design panel, laying the groundwork for more advanced topics.
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Chapters
- Figma courses often lack practical implementation; this course focuses on real-world UX design industry preparation.
- The course covers Figma from basic to advanced levels, aiming to prepare learners for understanding app design and graphic creation.
- Figma is a tool, not the discipline of UX design; learning Figma enables various design roles.
- No specific degree, age, or prior knowledge is required to learn Figma.
Understanding the course's practical focus and prerequisites helps learners set realistic expectations and commit to the learning process.
The speaker mentions creating social media carousels and designing apps as practical applications of Figma.
- Figma has two main products: Figma Design (for creating visuals) and FigJam (for brainstorming and research). This course focuses on Figma Design.
- Distinction between raster (pixelated, like JPEGs) and vector (scalable without losing quality, used in Figma) graphics is crucial.
- Figma is best used on a laptop, with options to use the desktop app or the browser version.
- Figma allows real-time collaboration, with multiple users working on the same file simultaneously.
Grasping these foundational concepts prevents confusion and ensures learners are using the right tools and understanding the nature of digital design assets.
The speaker demonstrates zooming into a pixelated JPEG versus a clear vector graphic to illustrate the difference.
- To start, go to figma.com, create an account (using email/password is recommended over Google sign-in), and click 'Design file'.
- A Figma file is structured with Pages, a Canvas (where design happens), and a Layers panel.
- The free plan limits users to three Figma design files and three FigJam files.
- Files can be organized into Teams and Projects for better management, especially when collaborating.
Learning to navigate the basic file structure and organization is essential for managing projects and collaborating effectively.
The speaker walks through creating a new design file, showing the dashboard, the canvas, pages, and the layers panel.
- The toolbar is divided into Tools (Move, Frame, Shape, Pen, Text), Actions, and Collaboration/View settings.
- The Move tool (V) is for selecting and repositioning elements, while the Scale tool (K) is for resizing.
- Frames (F) act as canvases for designs (e.g., phone screens, website sections) and are fundamental for organizing elements.
- Basic shapes (Rectangles, Ellipses, Lines) are the building blocks of UI elements; custom shapes can be made with the Pen tool.
- The Text tool allows adding and formatting text, with properties similar to word processors.
Familiarity with these core tools enables users to start creating and manipulating design elements within Figma.
Demonstration of creating a rectangle, rounding its corners using the corner radius property, and how it relates to a pill shape or circle.
- Frames are containers for design elements, offering features like constraints, while Groups are simpler collections.
- Constraints define how elements within a frame resize or reposition relative to the frame's edges when the frame is resized (responsive design).
- Horizontal constraints (Left, Right, Center, Left & Right) and Vertical constraints (Top, Bottom, Center, Top & Bottom) control element behavior.
- While constraints aid responsive design, they do not directly support adaptive design (where elements change layout entirely).
- Well-designed components in Figma community files often utilize constraints effectively.
Constraints are vital for creating responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes, a critical aspect of modern UI/UX.
Showing a button within a frame and setting its constraints to 'Left & Right' so it stretches horizontally as the frame width increases.
- The Design panel on the right dynamically changes based on the selected element (frame, shape, text).
- Alignment tools position elements relative to their parent container or other selected elements.
- Distribution tools ensure equal spacing between multiple selected elements.
- Figma's canvas has limits (65,000 pixels), but positioning can be done precisely using coordinates or nudge values (often multiples of 8).
- Elements can be flipped horizontally (Shift+H) or vertically (Shift+V).
Mastering the Design panel and its properties allows for precise control over element appearance, positioning, and spacing.
Demonstrating 'Tidy Up' and 'Distribute Horizontal Spacing' on a row of squares to make their spacing equal.
- Text elements have specific typography controls: typeface, weight, size, line height, letter spacing, and paragraph spacing.
- Using Google Fonts is recommended for accessibility and ease of collaboration.
- Line height (leading) affects the space between lines of text; percentages are often preferred over fixed pixels.
- Letter spacing and paragraph spacing fine-tune text readability.
- Layers have properties like fill (color, gradients, images), opacity, and blending modes, which affect how they interact with elements below them.
Understanding typography and layer properties is essential for creating visually appealing and readable text content and managing visual hierarchy.
Adjusting the line height of a paragraph to improve readability, showing the difference between 100% and 135% line height.
Key takeaways
- Figma is a powerful tool for UX/UI design, but it's the understanding of design principles that makes a designer, not just the tool itself.
- Vector graphics are fundamental to Figma's design process, allowing for infinite scalability without quality loss.
- Effective organization using Teams, Projects, Pages, and Frames is crucial for managing complex design files.
- Constraints are essential for building responsive designs that adapt gracefully to different screen sizes.
- Precise control over typography, including line height and letter spacing, significantly impacts readability and visual hierarchy.
- Figma's collaborative features allow real-time teamwork, streamlining the design process.
- Understanding the dynamic nature of the Design panel based on selected elements is key to utilizing its features.
Key terms
Figma DesignFigJamRaster GraphicsVector GraphicsFrameCanvasLayers PanelConstraintsResponsive DesignTypographyLine HeightLetter SpacingFillOpacityBlending Modes
Test your understanding
- What is the primary difference between raster and vector graphics, and why is this distinction important in Figma?
- How do constraints enable responsive design in Figma, and what are the limitations of constraints in relation to adaptive design?
- Explain the role of Frames in Figma and how they differ from simple Groups.
- What are the key typographic properties available in Figma, and how do they influence the readability and appearance of text?
- Describe the purpose of the Design panel and how its content changes based on the selected element.