Enhancing our UI Process with Figma’s New Capabilities

Keeping up with the ever-changing design trends can be challenging, therefore we utilise Figma, which equips us with the tools to stay at the forefront.

They have recently released their Dev Mode and variable capabilities, which allow our UI (user interface) design team to optimise designs and prototypes for greater efficiency, while also significantly enhancing the effectiveness of the developer handover process.

Variables

Image source: Figma.com

What are variables?

Variables are containers that are used to store and manipulate data, in plain terms this means that you can set a variable to a counter that increases or decreases in value based on the user’s interaction with the component, an example of this would be a shopping cart.

Streamlining our workflow

We have recently introduced design tokens and are very excited to see that variables can interact and sync with them. Variables allow us to define and reuse specific values, such as colours, text styles, and spacing, making it easier to manage changes, switch between different themes and maintain a cohesive design language across a project.

Consistency and reusability

Variables in Figma enable us to maintain consistency in our designs by ensuring that similar elements share the same properties. For example, we can create a "Text Styles" component that contains various text styles like headings, subheadings, and body text, each defined with specific font, size, and colour variables.

Image source: Figma.com

Responsive design made easier

By defining spacing variables, we can easily adjust the spacing between elements to adapt the design for different screen sizes and devices. Additionally, responsive typography becomes more manageable by using variables to control font sizes across breakpoints.

Conditional design components

Figma's variants work well in conjunction with variables. We can create a single component with interchangeable states using variants, and then use variables to customise specific elements within those states. This allows for faster exploration of design variations while maintaining consistency throughout the different iterations.

Integrating variables into our design process empowers us to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. By centralising design elements, ensuring consistency and reusability, easing collaboration and aiding responsive design, we can create flexible and scalable designs that meet the demands of modern digital experiences.

Dev Mode

Image source: Figma.com

Figma's Dev Mode has undergone a transformation, unveiling an array of new features that promise to redefine collaboration between designers and developers. This article delves into these fresh capabilities and how they'll reshape the design-to-development workflow.

Effortless code and asset export

Exporting code and downloading assets is now even more hassle-free. Developers can extract code snippets, ensuring design accuracy during implementation and speeding up coding processes.

Dynamic data integration

Dev Mode's live data integration empowers designers to inject real data into prototypes, enhancing realism. Teams can spot and address issues early on, resulting in a polished end product.

Streamlined version control

Dev Mode introduces developer-friendly version control. Developers can now see the history of changes done to individual frames/artboards, aligning design and development workflows.

Figma's Dev Mode brings game-changing features that foster a more unified design-to-development journey. With real-time CSS edits, dynamic prototyping, effortless code export, live data integration, and streamlined version control. Collaboration between designers and developers has never been this seamless and sophisticated.

At Byte Orbit, our commitment to pushing the boundaries of development and design is unmatched. Figma's seamless integration of Dev mode and variables empowers us to maintain our innovative edge. These features are set to strengthen the connection between our design and development teams, and both groups are eager to dive in.