Top 10 Figma Features Every Designer Should Know

The design community now recognises Figma as a dominant platform. The platform offers features that assist web designers in simplifying their design tasks while enhancing joint work and creative efforts. Both beginners and experienced users should know the essential Figma features to help them work efficiently and create beautiful visuals.

The following article explores essential Figma functions which every designer needs to understand.

Understanding Figma and What Makes it Popular Among UI/UX Design Professionals

Designers use Figma, an online platform, to create designs, collaborate, and display prototypes in real-time. The application exists exclusively in web browsers and stands apart from design software that installs locally. The platform operates through any device; users need not perform regular updates or downloads.

The collaboration features in Figma make it the top choice platform for UI/UX designers. The software enables several designers to collaborate on shared projects in real-time, just like users do with Google Docs. All participants experience real-time modifications, so collaborative work occurs effectively when design delays are shortened.

Figma’s design tool stands out because it serves both professional and casual users. According to Marketsplash data, there are more than 4 million Figma users. Amateur designers and professionals use Figma because it features easy-to-use design and powerful features. Figma performs vector modifications, which enables designers to create exact layouts; thus, it proves excellent for UI/UX design applications.

The platform maintains immense user preference because it delivers responsive design capabilities. Figma makes designs appear exceptional across various screen sizes and devices, enabling designers to create contemporary websites and applications.

Figma functions beyond its role as a design tool because it supports all stages of the design process. The tool serves multiple functions in design work because designers can use it for sketching and prototyping systems and version control features. The platform receives ongoing enhancements to handle changing needs within the UI/UX professional field.

Top 10 Figma Features Every Designer Should Know

1. Auto Layout for Responsive Designs

Among the best Figma UI/UX tools is Figma Auto Layout, which helps create adaptive and flexible designs that change automatically when the element sizes are changed. Figma responsive web design is imperative and prevents the interface from losing its appearance and functionality, irrespective of screen size.

Primary Benefits

• Easier alignment: Objects change naturally when content does.
• Space flexibility: Keep things evenly spread out.
• Responsiveness: Enhances Figma’s responsive web design.

Learn how to use Auto Layout in Figma to create responsive and efficient designs for different screen sizes.

2. Components for Consistent Design

Figma’s components feature is a must-have for designers who want project consistency. It allows designers to reuse elements like buttons, icons, and UI components without redoing them each time.

Why It is a Must

• Ensures consistency: Design changes spread everywhere.
• Time-saving: No re-creating buttons, icons, or UI elements.
• Foster’s scalability: Ideal for large projects and team collaboration.

The benefits of Figma Components to design consistency render it a tool for designers working with branding or UI kits.

3. Prototyping for Interactive Designs

Figma’s Prototyping feature allows designers to create interactive mockups without additional software. This feature is handy for UI/UX designers who want to test user flows before development.

Main Features

• Clickable prototypes: Emulate fundamental interactions.
• Transitions & animations: Smooth out the user experience.
• User testing: Receive feedback before development.

This feature will animate your static designs if you want to boost UI/UX design with Figma Prototyping.

4. Plugins to Increase Productivity

Figma Plugins augment its features by allowing designers to automate processes and include additional functions. Plugins make design work easier, faster, and more effective.

Best Figma Plugins to Enhance Your Design Workflow

• Unsplash: Add good-quality images instantly.
• Iconify: Get access to thousands of free icons.
• Content Reel: Design text and images for mockups.
• Figmotion: Create animations within Figma.

Using Figma Plugins, designers can easily optimise their workflow, automate processes, and create more interactive designs.

5. Real-Time Collaboration

Compared to other design software, Figma supports multiple users working on a single file together, increasing team collaboration. This is especially beneficial for web design training using Figma because it allows professionals and students to learn in an interactive setting.

Advantages

• Live edits: No more frequent file sharing.
• Version history: Monitor changes and revert if necessary.
• Commenting feature: Simple communication within projects.

This collaborative feature is why Figma is a must-have for web designing today.

6. Vector Networks for Powerful Illustrations

Figma’s Vector Networks provide more flexibility than vector tools, allowing designers to create complex shapes, icons, and illustrations with less trouble.

Why It Is Revolutionary

• Greater flexibility than regular vector tools.
• Simpler design with precise control of paths.
• Ideal for UI elements like logos and icons.

For designers switching over from other tools, learning Figma is essential, especially for web designers.

7. Frame & Layout Grids for Structure

Figma Frames and Layout Grids help designers create structured, pixel-perfect layouts. The tool is essential for responsive design since it maintains well-organized elements on different screen sizes.

Why It’s Important

• Grids help with alignment and spacing.
• Frames support nested designs for better organisation.
• Supports multiple screen sizes for responsive design.

Mastering grids and frames will allow students taking a Figma for beginners’ course to create stunning and well-organized designs.

8. Smart Selection for Bulk Editing

Figma’s Smart Selection allows designers to change multiple objects quickly, making bulk editing easy.

How It Helps

• Align multiple elements with ease.
• Adjust spacing evenly between objects.
• Edit images or text in bulk.

It is an excellent timesaver and one of the best Figma practices for business designers developing large projects.

9. Text, Colors, and Effect Styles

With Figma’s Styles feature, designers can maintain and reuse text, colour, and effect settings within a project, providing a unified look.

Why it is Convenient

• Guarantees design and branding consistency.
• Simple global edit with one alteration.
• Accelerates workflow when collaborating with large teams.

For students going through UI/UX design training with Figma, mastering styles effectively is key to professional projects.

10. Version Control for Safe Editing

Figma automatically saves each change using Version Control, enabling designers to monitor progress and revert to previous versions if needed.

Benefits

• No lost work from unintentional changes.
• Seamless collaboration without duplicating files.
• Monitor revisions for enhanced project management.

This feature benefits groups and students in a Smart Mentors web design class who want to try without fear of losing their work.

Conclusion

Figma is filled with features that will enhance your design workflow, whether you are a beginner or an expert. From Figma Auto Layout to Prototyping and Plugins, they all help enable streamlined design workflows and maximise efficiency. When you learn web design from Smart Mentors, mastering these Figma design features will provide you with a sound UI/UX foundation.