Figma is a collaborative design tool that allows you to create web mock-ups for sites and applications. Main competitor of Adobe XD and Sketch, we take a look at this tool which is becoming more and more important in the web design world.
Figma is a web design tool that allows you to create a quality website template for your project. It is a feature-rich tool that allows you to create a website or application mockup, which you can then use as the basis for your web development. It is also ideal for rapid prototyping of ideas, and is perfect for creating wireframes or quick mockups. Even if you don't plan to create websites, you can use it to create a design that you can use as inspiration for other projects.
You can use Figma to create a website mockup for your project, but it's not a perfect tool for all web design tasks. If you're new to the world of web design, or if you're just looking for a simpler alternative to more advanced tools, then Figma is a powerful, yet simple and easy to use tool that you should try. Once your Figma mockup is done, you can easily develop your website by migrating your Figma project to Webflow for example.
In this article, we highlight the main strengths of Figma for creating a website design. You will also learn about some of the limitations of this tool and how to use it most effectively for your web designs.
What is a website template?
A website mock-up is a mock-up of your website that allows you to see how it will look in a browser (without having to publish anything on the web). It also allows you to test different elements of your design to see how they will work on a web page before you actually create something that you will need to maintain and update if you want to make changes.
For example, you can use a website mock-up tosee how your buttons and images will look on your website, to ensure they are the right size and colour. It allows you to see how your website will appear on different devices and platforms, such as phones, laptops, tablets and desktops. It is essential to start by creating a web mock-up before the development phase.
You can also use a website mock-up to ensure that the scope of your project is correct. How big is the content? What are the dimensions of the images? What fonts should you use?
Why is a model so important?
In addition to testing the different elements of your design, a mock-up helps you to better understand your project, for example in terms of the site's tree structure: How big is the home page? How many pages are there?
If you are designing a website for a business, you can use the web mock-up to ensure that the layout, fonts and images are appropriate for the type of business. If there is a separate 'About' page, does it contain the right information? If the logo is not included, can you adjust the size?
How to create a website mock-up with Figma?
There are several ways to proceed, depending on your level of experience with Figma and your preferences. Figma has many features for both structuring your site and for design. The creation of a layout in Figma is often organised in several pages:
- Prototype or Wireframe UX: to design the user path, organise the different sections of the site according to the pages and information you wish to convey.
- UI mock-up: addition of the graphic charter and all the visual elements, to have a first overview of the future site.
- Style Guide: includes all the graphic elements of the site such as icons, backgrounds, colours, call to action and buttons, typography according to titles, texts, etc.
This collaborative design tool offers simple features to create your first web models. Figma also has a preview mode allowing you to be immersed in a simulation of your future website.
Creating a collaborative web template
Figma is a collaborative tool, which will allow you to work with several people on the same web model:
- Adding comments
- Simultaneous working on the same interface
- Project sharing
- Authorisation management
The limits of Figma
While Figma is a very useful tool for creating a website design and template, it also has its limitations. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- All the elements of a complex website are difficult to model in Figma. This includes animations and websites that use many different elements.
- You will not be able to transfer your Figma model to a web site with a simple click. Although the export of the HTML code is possible, in fact the reintegration of this code is not so simple. The model you create will have to be redeveloped on a website creation tool like Webflow.
- Figma mock-ups are not 100% representative of the final site, and adjustments are often necessary during the development phase.
