It is common knowledge among designers that a good design system can have a huge impact on the quality of products we ship and the pace at which we can develop them. As the case for creating a comprehensive design system has been made clear many times over, with companies like Google, GitHub, IBM, and others using them to create better products at greater pace, the question has shifted from “Why should we have a design system?” to “How can we create a great design system?”
So what precisely is a design system? Will Fanguy defines it as “a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled to build any number of applications.” A design system may include not only a UI component library and a pattern library, but a style guide, best practices, code, and more. Just like an architect’s blueprint for a building, a design system also serves as the “single source of truth” for the product team while building products, as well as helping to maintain consistency.
GitHub has even gone so far as to share their Figma component library—a great example of a Figma-based design system. More extensive tools like Storybook and Component-Driven Development are also extremely useful resources for implementing and documenting a design system.
A design system maintains design consistency and should be useful to everyone involved in creating a product. It’s a toolkit that helps designers create new screens, flows, and prototypes faster. A good design system helps developers understand the logic behind design decisions, and helps to create a more cohesive product. It speeds up the design process and allows designers more time for experimentation.
For those designers working with Figma, let’s look at how creating a component library in Figma can be a key part of a comprehensive design system.
The Power of a Component Library
Sometimes, it can be counterproductive to invest in creating a design system too soon. In the early stages of designing a product, the process is still fluid. For example, if two primary navigation bars are being experimented with, adding both to a component library would not make sense, as it will confuse everyone on the team. It’s better to wait until the product design has settled—preferably tested and somewhat finalized.
If a product is a mature one and doesn’t have an existing component library, the design system should already be determined by the current implementation. But it’s not codified yet. At this point, it would be advantageous to define the common UX patterns and distill the product into a set of components that are regularly used throughout the product. Additionally, it’s ideal if the library of components is kept in a central location that is easily accessible to all.
Trying to use a design system like a toolkit is a great litmus test for its effectiveness. If multiple designers use it regularly in order to speed up their process, it’s doing a good job. If developers can reference it for colors, typestyles, or to do work with less input from designers, that’s also a good sign.
It’s generally not useful to include highly complex components or those that may only be used once or twice in the product. The more reusable something is, the more it belongs in a design system.
Figma recently released design system analytics for organizations, where teams can see how effective different parts of a design system are and help optimize it.
Why Figma Is Great for Creating a Component Library
Figma is a powerful design tool with many great features, but there is a subset of elements that become particularly useful when designing complex products: Styles, Components, and Library Files. These features help keep design systems up to date, help maintain consistency between designs, and provide a shortcut for updating multiple designs from a central location.
Styles are colors and typestyles (font, size, weight, etc.) that are defined in one place and can be applied to many objects.
Components are things like buttons or chat bubbles and can be built from Styles, objects such as shapes and text, and other Components.
Library Files allow Styles and Components to be shared between multiple files and with a team or organization.
Figma has collaboration and sharing at its core. Design files can be edited by anyone in the browser, shared freely, and they update in real time as multiple users can edit them simultaneously. This opens up the design system to more efficient collaboration not only between designers but also with developers and other stakeholders.
Creating a Library File
In Figma, a library file that will more or less serve as the inception of a design system can be created. Here, we can define Styles and Components that are then shared throughout the team or organization and used in multiple designs. Styles and Components can be updated in one place, and these changes can then be brought in to all the individual design files automatically.
This has a couple of key advantages:
Speed. It saves time by removing the need for a designer to update potentially hundreds of designs manually. By having components managed in a single library file, updating a color in one place can propagate throughout every design created using the component library with just a few clicks.
Consistency. It reduces the likelihood of error by automating the task.
Organization
When constructing a design system in Figma, it’s useful to draw parallels between the tools and the theory. For example, Styles in Figma could be considered the most basic level, even more basic than Atoms in Brad Frost’s Atomic Design model. These are things like color and font that help make up the aesthetic of the product.
A simple Figma component would be considered an atom in the Atomic Design model, e.g., a button. A more complex Figma Component would be considered a molecule or organism, which is then used to construct templates and pages.
Some of the most useful things to have in a component library are:
Colors
Fonts
Brand assets, logo, etc.
Navigation
Buttons
Notifications
Modals
Form elements and validation
Building a Design System in Figma – Getting Started
In this example, we’ll create a simple sign-in form and explain the Components and Styles that can be inferred and used.
First, let’s think about the Components and Styles that are likely to be reusable from this form. There’s a card containing a logo, form fields, and a button. There are also three font styles and a few different colors and effects that may be useful.
Once the Styles and Components to be included are identified in the Library as above, it’s time to create a Library file and begin populating it.
Create a Figma Library File
Create a new file and publish it as a Library. Once a new file is created, click on the Assets tab, click the Library icon, and then click Publish. This publishes the Styles and Components in the library file so they can be used in other files.
Styles and components can now be created in the library file and can be used in other files and updated from the central library file.
How to Create a Figma Style
Creating Styles is the same in Library files as it is in any other file, outlined in the steps below.
Select the object you want to create a Style from. Styles can be colors, text properties, effects, and layout grids.
Click the Styles button (four dots in a square) next to the property to be used in the new Style, then click the plus button in the popover to create a new Style.
This will show a modal to name the Style. It’s often helpful to use a semantic name rather than a presentational name, e.g., “Primary Color” instead of “Green” so it’s clearer what the Style is intended to be used for.
Publish the Style to your Team Library using the pop-up that appears in the bottom right of the screen, or repeat the steps taken to publish the Library in the first instance.
Once a few Styles and Components have been created, the Library file can be shared with the team, and the Styles and Components can be used in any number of files.
Using the Figma Library
To use these Styles and Components in another file, the Library file needs to link to an existing design file we want to use the new Styles and Components in. Simply open the Libraries modal again (Assets, Library icon) and turn on the toggle switch for the Library file to be used.
The Component Library is now ready to be used. Components can be placed by dragging them into the design file from the Assets tab on the left of the screen. Library styles can be used in the same way as local styles when changing text styles, fill colors, strokes, effects, and layout grids.
When Components and Styles are updated in the Library, the files using them need to accept the changes. Figma will show a notification when updates are made in the Library file, giving the option to publish them. Once published, any files using the Components and Styles will have to accept the change via a similar notification or the assets tab to update their components and styles. This prevents changes from being published and updated unexpectedly.
Beyond Building a Component Library in Figma
Figma only covers the component library part of a fully fledged design system. For a fully rounded out design system, it’s worth considering other pieces that could be incorporated, such as brand guidelines, content style guides, and developer documentation.
Mailchimp’s content style guide is an excellent example, detailing the tone of voice and branding through content. GitHub has some great documentation for how their component library works in code, and Google’s Material Design System also has some excellent examples of documenting the logic behind the design system.
As a design tool, Figma has matured a lot, and new features are constantly added. The addition of a Figma design system with built-in analytics that is accessible to the entire organization is a giant step forward. The addition of these features indicates that Figma aims to be a fully fledged, comprehensive design tool, and it’s well on its way to accomplishing that.
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Further reading on the Toptal Design Blog:
The Power of Figma as a Design Tool
Streamline Collaborative Design with Figma
Mini Tutorial – Leveraging Figma’s Features for the Entire Design Process
Mini Tutorial – Working with Figma Button Components
Building and maintaining a consistent experience in your designs, products, and systems can have great consequences for your customers and their experience. Customers become accustomed to specific interface objects and even the location of those objects on a screen.
A design system is composed of all the elements in your final app. These elements should be cleanly organized into styles and components that are referenced in a single source of truth inside a separate document. This document should be easy to maintain by anyone in your team.
PRO TIP: When designing in Figma, it is important to be precise in your measurements and placement of elements. This can be achieved by using the 'Ruler' tool and the 'Grid' tool. The 'Ruler' tool allows you to measure the distance between two points, and the 'Grid' tool allows you to snap elements to a grid.
Consistency in design is about making elements uniform — having them look and behave the same way. We often hear designers talk about consistent navigation, consistent page layouts, or consistent control elements. In each case, the designer is looking for a way to leverage the usability by creating uniformity.
Consistency is carrying out something the same way, or something staying the same as it's achieved in a particular way. An example of this could be when we're painting a wall to achieve the same color and look overall. This creates a uniform look and is overall consistent to create the same color or design overall.
It has to be both easy to maintain and easy to use. Split your design files as much as possible. Keep your components apart from your projects, as well as your styles. Keep the same naming convention everywhere: in your Figma files, in your zeroheight, when you talk to your colleagues, etc.
Creating a pattern in Figma is easy: First, create the design element that you want to use as a pattern.Next, select the element and click the “Create Pattern” button in the top toolbar. Figma will automatically create a new frame that contains your element, as well as a link to the original element.
Figma is a design tool that lets you create designs for mobile and web interfaces, or any other kind of design you can think of. Figma is a collaboration tool for teams and individuals to create and share high-quality work.
With Figma, everything just works seamlessly on the Web. Figma lets you share design files and collaborate in real-time with your entire team. That's not possible with a desktop app like Sketch.
Figma has been growing in popularity among designers due to its user-friendly interface and robust features. One of the main reasons for its success is that it is a web-based design tool, which means that it can be used on any operating system and there is no need to download or install any software.
the quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way: They've won a few games this season but they lack consistency. It's important to show some consistency in your work. Opposite. inconsistency (inconsistent)
Consistency is the critical driver for success. Being consistent means dedicating yourself to your goals and staying focused on the things and activities to achieve your goals. Consistency requires a long-term commitment from you and involves sustained effort in doing actions repeatedly until you achieve your goals.
It helps design work communicates clearly and look professional - Consistency looks professional and helps to ensure design work is communicating the intended message. A lack of consistency in design elements, sizes, colours etc can leave people confused and compositions looking messy!
The consistency principle states that business should maintain the same accounting methods or principles throughout the accounting periods, so that users of the financial statements or information are able to make meaningful conclusions from the data.
He scores goals with remarkable consistency. There's always a lack of consistency in matters of foreign policy. The consistency of a substance is how thick or smooth it is. I added a little milk to mix the dough to the right consistency.
The key to consistency is setting and achieving specific goals. Start by determining how you want to be more consistent in your life, and aim for these small goals. Over time, as you become more consistent, keep yourself motivated and accountable.
Broadly speaking, your design system will undergo three phases of life: reflection, anticipation, and influence. It's futile to try and rearrange these phases or skip the initial ones, and each comes with its own benefits.
To use a Figma template, simply click on the “Templates” tab in the left sidebar and choose from one of the available options. For example, if you're designing a landing page, you might want to use a template that already has all of the necessary components.
You can create shapes using the Pen Tool, or you can use the shape tool to drag out an image on the canvas. Once you've drawn a shape, use the Edit Object button in the toolbar to quickly enter vector edit mode. You can also double-click, or use Enter .
However, if you want to create more complex designs, you will need to learn more about the program's features. Overall, it takes about a week to learn Figma, but it can be faster or slower depending on your level of experience and familiarity with graphic design programs.
Figma is web-based and works anywhere Figma is a web-based design tool. No software to contend with. Therefore, it works on any platform: Macs, Windows PCs, Linux machines, and even Chromebooks. And because it's web-based, it has a brilliant auto-save feature that stores your work in the Cloud.
With Figma, your files just live on the Web. No more version mixups.No more cloud syncing.No more transferring files between your work and personal computers.
Components are elements you can reuse across your designs. They help to create and manage consistent designs across projects. You can create components from any layers or objects you've designed. These could be a whole range of things like buttons, icons, layouts, and more.
First and foremost, Figma works in a browser, making it extremely accessible and simple. There is no installation, no patching, no updates. All you have to do is simply login to the site and you are good to go. This also means that Figma works on any operating system that runs a web browser.
Figma is a powerful design tool that helps you to create anything: websites, applications, logos, and much more. By learning to use Figma, you'll take your first steps into User Interface Design and and User Experience Design.
Figma is a good start but not enough when it comes to high-fidelity prototyping. To create realistic, lifelike dynamic interactions, you need ProtoPie's essential prototyping capabilities. For prototyping, you could make a choice between Figma and ProtoPie.
One of the things that makes Figma unique is its vector-based design interface. This allows designers to create designs that can be scaled up or down without losing quality. PRO TIP: Figma is a unique design tool that allows you to create vector illustrations, interface designs, and prototypes all in one place.
Figma is also a valuable skill to help users become better at soft skills related to collaboration, as one of the strengths of the tool is how much it empowers designers to work with one another on the same project.
Figma is a tool that is used for creating and editing user interfaces. It is a free and open source software which is developed by a company called Figma. It is used by web designers, developers, and other professionals who need to create user interfaces for websites, apps, and other digital products.
Figma is excellent for designers. It allows us to collaborate, work together closely and iterate on each other's projects with ease. But this platform is so robust and easy to use, it even gives an inspect tool for developers, and that is what I'd like to discuss.
The name Figma comes from the fact that it's the first interface design tool with real-time collaboration – or, as we like to say, it's a “figment of your imagination”. PRO TIP: Figma is a vector graphics editor and prototyping tool – it is used by designers to create high-quality designs and prototypes.
Some of the biggest companies in the world use Figma, including Google, Facebook, Uber, and Netflix. These companies rely on Figma to create beautiful designs and user interfaces. Figma is also popular with small businesses and freelancers.
Figma is a modern, streamlined design tool that makes the developer handoff process smooth and seamless. Developers now have better access to the designs and have the ability to extract information about typography, redlines, colors, measurement and more.
With this acquisition, Adobe is recognizing that its persona-based approach to software is the past, and Figma's job-to-be-done-based (JTBD) approach is the future.
But what exactly is consistency in UI design? Consistency in UI design is concerned with making sure elements in a user interface are uniform. They'll look and behave the same way. This helps constantly prove a user's assumptions about the user interface right, creating a sense of control, familiarity, and reliability.
Consistency is the key principle of UX design. A usable and user-friendly design always provides a consistent experience. If user has to find a new way each time to resolve a similar kind of problem while working in a design, he will get confused and frustrated at the same time.
con·sis·ten·cy kən-ˈsi-stən(t)-sē plural consistencies. : agreement or harmony of parts or features to one another or a whole : correspondence. The furnishings and decorations in all the rooms reflect a consistency of style. specifically : ability to be asserted together without contradiction.
Consistency is the orderly treatment of a set of linked elements, and it is a necessary. characteristic of polished, highly readable prose. Consistency is either “uniform” or. “harmonious,” depending on whether a set of linked elements is indivisible or. divisible into subsets.
It helps design work communicates clearly and look professional - Consistency looks professional and helps to ensure design work is communicating the intended message. A lack of consistency in design elements, sizes, colours etc can leave people confused and compositions looking messy!
Consistency limits the number of ways actions and operations are represented, ensuring that users do not have to learn new representations for each task. Further, establishing design norms like following platform conventions allow users to complete new tasks without having to learn a whole new toolset.
This allows designers and stakeholders to make decisions quickly without spending precious time to argue. This saves time that can be used to build the product and make incremental improvements.
To calculate the overall consistency score for a digital product, we add up the numbers for each of the three main scores (only of the elements that exist for that specific digital product) and calculate the overall score from the three totals (don't calculate the average from the percentage scores of each element!).
Consistency means focusing on the task at hand in the present moment while maintaining a long term vision. When we do something regularly, we get feedback. This feedback helps us to change course when required. Consistency, in other words, is therefore all about repetition.
What is Consistency Principle? The consistency principle states that business should maintain the same accounting methods or principles throughout the accounting periods, so that users of the financial statements or information are able to make meaningful conclusions from the data.
Strict Consistency Model: "The strict consistency model is the strongest form of memory coherence, having the most stringent consistency requirements. ...
Sequential Consistency Model: "The sequential consistency model was proposed by Lamport ... .
You turn the new behavior into a habit as fast as possible, so it becomes easier to carry out. You're on the fast track to reap the benefits of your new behavior. If you regularly skip doing the activity, whatever benefits it provides come slower or not at all.
Someone who is consistent always behaves in the same way, has the same attitudes towards people or things, or achieves the same level of success in something.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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