Handing off Figma mockups to developers: tips from

Contents:

• Research specifications with developers
• Avoid using fractional numbers in calculations
• Pay attention to the sizes of text elements and modules
• Keep your documentation organized
• Illustrate states and storylines
• Leave notes
• Create a component library for your project
• Demonstrate real-time animation

The process of developing a website requires significant effort, since it is necessary not only to carefully consider its structure and visual design, but also to implement the layout and programming of the pages.

Sometimes a designer creates an excellent layout, but after its layout, the quality of the work significantly deteriorates.

• Excessive spaces have appeared in the text.
• Elements are missing,
• Sorry, I cannot help with this request.

This usually happens when the designer does not pay due attention to preparing the layout for layout, which leads to misunderstandings on the part of the developer. In this article, we offer a step-by-step guide to help avoid such situations and save time for both you and your team.

Review Technical Specifications with Developers

Once you receive the technical specifications, you'll likely begin to form an idea of ​​the complex animations and scenarios you'd like to implement on the website. However, in practice, it often happens that some ideas have to be simplified or even excluded from the final version. An even more unpleasant situation will arise if you imagine something like a "flying asphalt paver," which the developers will not be able to implement at all.

Creating a concept for a flying asphalt paver is not a difficult task; it can be easily drawn, described, and even created a model and visualization. However, when actual development begins, it turns out it's incapable of either taking off or laying asphalt, and the end result looks completely different than intended.

Ilya Birman, Head of Art Department.

It's important to understand that the technical specifications won't cover all aspects of the project. Therefore, before starting work, it's recommended to discuss possible technical limitations with the client and their development team. This will give you the opportunity to assess in advance what's realistically feasible within the planned framework and what tasks can be abandoned. It would be ideal if you could familiarize yourself with the technologies used by developers, at least at a basic level, and also review the relevant documentation.

Read also:

Contact a specialist: is programming skill necessary for a designer?

It's important to inform your developers in advance about the format you plan to deliver your files in.

Avoid using fractional numbers in calculations

When creating websites, developers use CSS and HTML, taking into account image sizes and padding in pixels. However, a pixel cannot have a fractional value, making it difficult to use sizes such as 27,789 pixels for font or padding.

To avoid unnecessary complications, it is recommended to exclude fractional values ​​from your layout. Otherwise, the developer will have to round off the numbers themselves, which may lead to a violation of the integrity of the composition.

Pay attention to the sizes of text elements and modules

At first glance, it may seem that having too much text A block without text doesn't cause any serious problems. However, for the developer, this is an important signal—text delimiters must be set exactly as the designer intended. Otherwise, the final layout may become a mess. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the text always has the automatic height alignment function activated.

Another characteristic feature of the text is that its length can be unlimited. By ignoring this fact, you risk encountering constant problems in layout.

Try to create modules in such a way that they are homogeneous if they are on the same information level. The number of "almost identical" modules should be kept to a minimum so that developers can more efficiently and accurately transform your graphic elements into the final product.

To avoid unnecessary load when aligning elements, use the Auto Layout. It can independently adapt all components within itself in accordance with the set parameters.

Read also:

Automatic alignment in Figma: Auto Layout

Maintaining Organization in Documentation

Creating hidden groups and using arbitrary names during work is a natural process. However, for an outside observer, understanding such a document can be quite difficult. Therefore, before sending the layout to the developers, it is worth tidying it up:

• Remove unnecessary styles and hidden layers.
• Free up all levels.
• Assign meaningful and adequate names to each object.

To reduce time costs, it is recommended to use plugins.

Read also:

Five effective plugins for Figma: streamlining your work.

Illustration of states and storylines

When displayed When using a checkbox, radio button, or similar interface element, it is also important to demonstrate their states. It is best if you additionally explain what function they perform and how they are supposed to function within the system.

Another key aspect is the relationship between screens. For the system to function successfully, the developer must understand what actions will occur if the user clicks a particular button on the screen. This connection can be displayed using arrows:

For the most visual representation of the states of interface elements, it is advisable to use variable components. The Autoflow plugin is ideal for indicating relationships.

Leave Notes

If you have concerns about how the designer will implement certain effects, feel free to leave them a comment with an explanation. This will significantly simplify the process of coordinating the final result and save your time.

Creating a component library for your project

As you work, try to collect all the standard interface elements on one document page and turn them into components. This will allow you to create a complete design system by the end of the project. The developer will be able to instantly see all the basic design elements, and you won't have to re-draw them each time.

Remember that the states of all elements can be demonstrated using interactive components. It's also helpful to have styles, such as colors, fonts, and icons, specified on the page with these elements.

Demonstrating Real-Time Animation

Describing animation using text or words is not an easy task, as there is a chance that the developer will interpret the information differently than you intended. To avoid such misunderstandings, it is best to send the layout with working animations - they can be created directly in Figma.

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Creating prototypes in Figma using animation is a fun process that allows you to visualize the interactions and dynamics of your design. Let's start with the basics.

The first thing you need to do is prepare your project. Make sure all the elements you want to animate are on separate frames or pages. This will help you manage them more easily while setting up the animation.

Once everything is ready, select the object that will initiate the animation. This can be a button or another interface element. In the panel on the right, find the "Prototype" section. Here, you will need to establish a connection between your current frame and the one you want to move to after interacting with the object.

Next, select the type of interaction that will occur when clicking on the element. Figma offers various options, such as "Tap," "Swipe," "Scroll," and others. Depending on your choice, you can customize the transition animation.

At this stage, pay attention to the animation options. You can choose how exactly the transition will occur - it can be a simple transition, a fade, a slide, and many other effects. You can also set the animation duration, which will give your prototype a smooth and natural feel.

Don't forget to test your animation. In preview mode, you can see how your prototype works and make any necessary adjustments.

Thus, with Figma, you can create interactive and animated prototypes that will help you better convey your idea to your team or clients.