Figma is a collaborative, browser-based user interface design tool. UX Designers, Web Designers, and Front End Developers use Figma to work together on interactive designs.

An important factor that goes into deciding to learn a new skill is researching complementary and related skills. Doing so will help you make more informed decisions about what you want to learn, and it will help you decide whether or not learning a specific skill is the right decision for you. You will also learn what kind of skills you may want to learn to complement your training later on. Read on to learn more about related Figma training options such as user experience design, front end development, web design, and graphic design. 

What is Figma?

Figma is a user interface design tool. Designers work on shared documents to build interactive webpage prototypes. Then, users can test these prototypes to ensure the designs meet all requirements. This makes Figma ideal for building complex and accessible webpages. 

Figma is also a vector graphics design tool, meaning all designs produced are resizable and replicable. This is important for optimizing layouts across devices and platforms. Since Figma prides itself on its collaborative community, there are many readily available plug-ins, templates, and widgets that make designing interfaces easier. 

Read more about what Figma is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Figma Skills?

Figma lets users collaborate in real-time to build user interfaces. Using vector graphics design tools, teams create wireframe layouts that can be optimized across devices. They can add interactive elements such as scrolling and hovering functionalities to their designs, so their webpages look and feel modern. Figma lets designers produce working prototypes that users can test and give feedback on.

In addition, because Figma is such a potent collaboration tool, there is a massive community of designers and developers constantly creating new plug-ins, templates, and widgets for public consumption. Every day, new Figma resources are being developed.

Skills Related to Figma

As a tool, Figma is useful in many fields. It’s helpful to study these broader fields along with or after you study Figma. They include several types of design, as well as front end web development. This article will introduce you to the skills that can complement your Figma studies and prepare you to make the most of what you’ve learned.

User Experience Design

Anyone learning user experience (UX) design should know Figma. UX is the practice of designing websites and mobile apps with the user’s experience in mind. UX Designers conduct research with users to identify a need that the website or app can solve. They may also collaborate with specialized UX Researchers to do so. They then develop user personas to help them think about different types of users and what the product can do for them.

Next, they design wireframes, which are simplified representations of the app or site with no colors, fonts, or graphics. This helps them explore how the product might function without spending many hours on design elements. The wireframing stage is where Figma begins to be useful. They may use it to turn these wireframes into prototypes to explore the functionality themselves, or they may go from making a wireframe to a full-on design that a user can test.

Once the design is ready for some public consumption, UX Designers bring in potential users to test the prototypes. Based on user feedback, they revise the designs to create a better user experience.

Front End Development

At that point, Front End Developers play their most active role, implementing the final design as a site or app. However, they may also have input earlier on concerning the practicality or functionality of a design. The collaborative aspect of Figma allows them to look at the design whenever the designer is ready to share it. Then, they can use the comment function to share their ideas without adjusting the design themselves. Once the UX Designer has incorporated feedback from the team and from users, the Front End Developer(s) can use those designs and prototypes to guide them as they build the actual user interface. Those learning front end development will benefit from knowing Figma.

Web Design

Even Web Designers who are not User Experience Designers may find Figma useful. The program is specifically structured to serve designers who are creating interactive models. Having access to the prototyping function is helpful for Web Designers who want to test their own products, even if they don’t intend to do systematic user testing. Also, the extensive component libraries in Figma can save the Web Designer time in their process. Figma streamlines the process of turning a visual design into a functioning interface. If you choose to study Web Design, Figma will be an extremely useful skill to know.

Graphic Design

While Figma is not a tool for graphic design, learning graphic design principles and tools can help you make better use of your Figma skills. Some rules and guidelines of visual design hold true whether the design is interactive or not. You don’t need to know graphic design to learn Figma, or study Figma to learn graphic design. However, experience with each of these skills will complement the other. That makes it worthwhile to study them side-by-side. You can do this by pursuing Noble Desktop’s graphic design certificate.

Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a program that some designers use instead of Figma or alongside it. Many job listings will call for a designer who knows both. Adobe XD does not have the advantages of Figma for collaboration. However, it offers similar design and prototyping features. Thus, you can still do wireframing, prototyping, and user testing with Adobe XD instead of Figma. Knowing both will help you be more attractive to prospective employers. 

Learn Figma Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop holds Figma courses at their Manhattan campus and online. With small classes, students receive focused attention from experienced instructors in real-time.

Noble’s Figma Bootcamp teaches students to build professional-quality web designs using Figma. They create vector illustrations, optimize across devices, and export designs for prototyping.

Noble’s UX & UI Design Certificate program teaches students user experience design practices. They research user behavior to make informed decisions about their Figma interface designs.

Noble’s Web Development Certificate program teaches students the technical side of webpage design. Students use HTML/CSS and JavaScript to turn Figma designs into functioning user interfaces.

Key Takeaways

• Skills related to Figma include:
• User Experience Design
• Front End Development
• Web Design
• Graphic Design
• Adobe XD
• You can receive comprehensive in-person or online training in Figma through Noble Desktop