0:00:00.036,0:00:06.056 >> Figma is a vector design[br]tool that runs in the browser. 0:00:06.056,0:00:15.386 Use Figma to brainstorm ideas,[br]iterate on designs, create prototypes, 0:00:15.466,0:00:18.196 and get feedback at any stage[br]of the creative process. 0:00:18.896,0:00:23.736 In this beginner's course, we're going to take[br]you through the key stages of designing an app 0:00:23.736,0:00:27.936 in Figma, from the initial wireframes[br]to an interactive prototype. 0:00:28.276,0:00:31.196 We'll cover the basics, and[br]introduce more powerful features 0:00:31.196,0:00:34.326 like auto layout, components, and prototyping. 0:00:34.326,0:00:38.386 There's something for everyone, whether[br]you're new to design or new to Figma. 0:00:38.936,0:00:42.616 We won't cover all these features in[br]depth, but we'll provide you with resources 0:00:42.646,0:00:45.986 to continue your Figma education. 0:00:48.096,0:00:52.666 Sign up for a free Figma account at figma.com. 0:00:52.666,0:00:57.796 With the Figma account, you can create teams,[br]shared workspaces, or you can collaborate 0:00:57.796,0:01:00.246 on files and organize them in projects. 0:01:00.956,0:01:04.426 Choose from a free starter team[br]or a paid professional team. 0:01:04.786,0:01:08.066 If you are a student or educator,[br]you can get access to all 0:01:08.066,0:01:10.036 of Figma's professional features for free. 0:01:10.076,0:01:15.936 Visit figma.com/education/apply[br]to verify your education account. 0:01:15.936,0:01:24.606 Once you've created your team, you[br]can invite members to collaborate. 0:01:24.606,0:01:29.096 This will give them access to all[br]the projects and files in your team. 0:01:29.096,0:01:31.806 You can choose what level of[br]access each team member has. 0:01:32.156,0:01:35.236 Learn more about creating[br]teams and inviting members 0:01:35.446,0:01:40.566 by searching Teams in the Figma Help Center. 0:01:40.656,0:01:43.536 We're pretty sure we've got[br]the next million-dollar idea: 0:01:43.606,0:01:45.566 a social media app for pets. 0:01:46.566,0:01:50.586 We want some feedback on the general layout[br]before we start exploring specific elements 0:01:50.586,0:01:51.366 of our design. 0:01:51.816,0:01:54.576 Wireframes are simplified[br]designs that are devoid 0:01:54.576,0:01:57.906 of any style, like color, type, or imagery. 0:01:58.456,0:02:02.216 They allow us to map out user flows and[br]explore different ways we structure our app 0:02:02.476,0:02:06.026 without having to design any[br]elements or add any content. 0:02:06.726,0:02:12.186 We start our journey in the Figma editor. 0:02:12.276,0:02:15.206 The canvas is the backdrop[br]for all of your designs. 0:02:15.506,0:02:19.366 It's where you'll add all the[br]frames, shape, text, and images. 0:02:19.566,0:02:22.866 There are no bounds to your[br]creativity, but you should know 0:02:22.866,0:02:27.616 that the canvas extends approximately[br]65,000 points in each direction. 0:02:28.036,0:02:36.246 With the great expanse that is the canvas,[br]we need something to put our designs in. 0:02:36.246,0:02:36.856 Enter frames. 0:02:36.856,0:02:41.616 Frames are the containers we place[br]our shape, text, and image layers in. 0:02:41.616,0:02:46.636 You can think of each frame in the[br]canvas as a single screen of your design. 0:02:46.636,0:02:49.886 The toolbar contains the tools[br]we need for creating layers. 0:02:50.386,0:02:52.116 Select the Frame tool in the toolbar. 0:02:53.186,0:02:58.456 Frame presets in the sidebar on the right let[br]us create frames with specific dimensions. 0:02:58.456,0:03:04.066 We know that we're making a mobile app, so[br]we'll select Google Pixel 2XL from the presets. 0:03:04.956,0:03:06.736 Two exciting things just happened. 0:03:07.156,0:03:11.536 Figma added a frame to our canvas and the[br]sidebar on the left is no longer empty. 0:03:11.536,0:03:15.636 Everything that we add to the canvas[br]will also be added to the Layers panel. 0:03:15.636,0:03:26.526 Let's right click on this[br]frame and name it to Home. 0:03:26.526,0:03:31.356 To explore more of the canvas, we can use[br]two fingers on a trackpad or the scroll 0:03:31.356,0:03:33.136 on the mouse wheel to pan around. 0:03:33.136,0:03:38.466 We can also press and hold the[br]space bar and click and drag to pan. 0:03:38.466,0:03:40.566 Let's zoom out so we can see the entire frame. 0:03:40.566,0:03:46.296 If you're using the trackpad, you can also[br]use the pinch gestures to zoom in and out. 0:03:46.296,0:03:51.206 You can also use shortcuts like Command[br]Plus and Command Minus to zoom in or out. 0:03:51.206,0:03:55.406 For granular control, adjust the zoom[br]level in your view settings up here. 0:03:55.406,0:04:02.136 Now, we're ready to add some[br]layers to our frame. 0:04:02.136,0:04:06.436 As this is a wireframe, we're going to keep[br]it basic and use shapes like rectangles 0:04:06.436,0:04:10.806 and ellipses to represent more[br]complex aspects of our designs. 0:04:10.936,0:04:14.896 We'll select the rectangle tool to create[br]an image for a post on our app's home page. 0:04:14.966,0:04:19.056 Just like frames, every layer[br]in the canvas has dimensions. 0:04:19.176,0:04:23.276 We can adjust a layer's position and[br]dimensions at the top of the right side bar. 0:04:24.016,0:04:27.496 We want our rectangle to take up most[br]of the horizontal space in our frame, 0:04:27.796,0:04:36.216 so let's make the width of our[br]rectangle 380, and a height of 300. 0:04:36.216,0:04:41.086 If we look in the layers panel again, we can[br]see that our rectangle is within our home frame. 0:04:41.326,0:04:44.176 Some layers, like frames,[br]can contain other layers. 0:04:44.756,0:04:48.696 If we move our rectangle outside of the[br]frame, the layers panel updates, too. 0:04:48.696,0:04:52.056 We're going to place our[br]rectangle back inside of our frame. 0:04:52.056,0:04:55.226 Figma will help us snap the[br]position of the rectangle 0:04:55.226,0:05:01.396 to align it to the center of the frame. 0:05:01.396,0:05:06.606 Cool. Now we're going to create a shape that[br]represents a user's profile picture or avatar. 0:05:06.606,0:05:10.166 Select the Ellipse tool on the menu[br]and click to start drawing the ellipse. 0:05:10.246,0:05:14.446 If you hold down Shift as we drag,[br]we can create a perfect circle. 0:05:15.176,0:05:18.726 We'll release to create the avatar[br]with dimensions of around 30 by 30. 0:05:19.156,0:05:22.096 Holding Shift can strain the[br]proportions of our ellipse. 0:05:22.546,0:05:26.186 If we update one value in the right-side[br]bar, the other will update, too. 0:05:26.826,0:05:29.616 We can click into the width[br]field and use the arrow keys 0:05:29.616,0:05:31.706 to nudge the ellipse's dimensions to 30. 0:05:32.496,0:05:34.736 Some fields in Figma accept equations. 0:05:34.736,0:05:38.636 We can use equations to resize[br]layers by adding, subtracting, 0:05:38.766,0:05:41.866 multiplying, or dividing the existing value. 0:05:42.426,0:05:50.316 Let's add plus 10 to the field to set[br]the dimensions of our circle to 40. 0:05:50.416,0:05:53.436 Basic shapes support both[br]fill and stroke properties. 0:05:54.076,0:05:57.886 We can see these in the right sidebar[br]when we select both of our layers. 0:05:57.886,0:06:03.576 By default, our layers have a fill of[br]grey, but you can choose another color. 0:06:03.576,0:06:08.456 Enter a hex code in the field or click[br]the Swatch to open the color picker. 0:06:08.456,0:06:11.896 We can select colors from the[br]Palette, or apply other fills 0:06:11.896,0:06:15.076 like gradients, images, and even animated gifs. 0:06:15.076,0:06:19.746 We can also remove the fill entirely[br]by clicking the minus button. 0:06:19.746,0:06:24.816 We want our wireframes to appear like[br]outlines instead of solid shapes. 0:06:25.276,0:06:27.636 We can do this by adding a stroke. 0:06:27.746,0:06:30.136 Strokes are outlines or borders around layers. 0:06:31.046,0:06:38.556 We've learned to align layers to their frames,[br]but we can also align objects to each other. 0:06:39.356,0:06:41.996 Let's use the alignment tools[br]to align the layers to the left. 0:06:42.166,0:06:47.206 As our avatar layer is smaller, Figma[br]will align it to the larger image layer. 0:06:47.326,0:06:50.206 Now, we need a username to go with our avatar. 0:06:50.576,0:06:55.776 Select the Text tool, click a spot on the[br]canvas next to our avatar, and type in name. 0:06:55.896,0:06:58.916 We'll cover adjusting text[br]properties later in the series. 0:06:59.846,0:07:03.416 We want our text layer to align[br]to the center of our avatar. 0:07:03.416,0:07:08.206 Drag over multiple layers to select them[br]all at once and click Align Vertical Center. 0:07:08.266,0:07:11.866 If we want to make small[br]adjustments to a layer's position, 0:07:12.146,0:07:15.406 we can use our arrow keys to[br]nudge objects on the canvas. 0:07:15.496,0:07:19.396 Looks good to me. 0:07:20.726,0:07:25.446 Users will want to engage with each other[br]by commenting, liking, and saving posts. 0:07:25.446,0:07:30.556 Let's press R to select the Rectangle tool[br]and create some icons for these actions. 0:07:30.556,0:07:34.996 We'll use Shift again to constrain the[br]proportions and create a perfect square. 0:07:35.116,0:07:38.236 Let's aim for dimensions of 32 by 32. 0:07:38.236,0:07:43.526 Instead of drawing three separate[br]squares, we can copy the original layer. 0:07:43.526,0:07:45.866 There are a few ways to copy layers. 0:07:46.096,0:07:50.966 Hold down Alt or Option and click and[br]drag on our layers to duplicate it 0:07:51.056,0:07:57.506 or press Command D. Figma will maintain[br]the same distance between objects. 0:07:57.506,0:08:02.496 If we want to change the uniform spacing[br]between them, we can select our layers 0:08:02.496,0:08:05.576 and update the horizontal[br]spacing in the right sidebar. 0:08:06.036,0:08:07.626 We'll need some text below our image. 0:08:08.116,0:08:09.896 Let's add that. 0:08:09.896,0:08:15.436 All these layers make up a single post. 0:08:15.496,0:08:20.566 We want to be sure these objects stay together. 0:08:20.626,0:08:22.986 There are two ways we can group layers. 0:08:23.166,0:08:27.406 We can use the keyboard shortcut, Command[br]G, to create a group out of these layers. 0:08:28.026,0:08:29.866 Groups allow us to move a collection of layers 0:08:29.866,0:08:32.826 around without having to[br]select each individual layer. 0:08:32.966,0:08:36.386 We can use Groups or Frames[br]to organize our Layers panel. 0:08:37.266,0:08:41.486 While Frames and Groups look similarly in the[br]Layers panel, they are fundamentally different. 0:08:41.486,0:08:45.756 Groups are the sum of their parts[br]and have no properties of their own. 0:08:45.756,0:08:50.796 We can use Groups to organize our layers[br]or apply properties to layers in bulk. 0:08:50.796,0:08:53.756 Frames, on the other hand, can have[br]their own dimensions and properties, 0:08:53.756,0:08:56.246 some of which can affect the layers within them. 0:08:56.246,0:08:59.596 We'll learn more about frames and[br]their properties later in this series. 0:08:59.596,0:09:04.126 From the right sidebar, we can[br]convert our group into a frame. 0:09:04.696,0:09:09.956 Then we'll copy this frame using the keyboard[br]shortcut to create a second post for our feed. 0:09:10.746,0:09:19.676 We'll move the other post below[br]the other post in the frame. 0:09:19.676,0:09:21.076 The feed is starting to take shape, 0:09:21.076,0:09:24.576 but we're missing some crucial[br]elements to make it look like an app. 0:09:24.806,0:09:29.166 We need a status bar and a navigation[br]menu to move between pages in our app. 0:09:29.306,0:09:33.046 We could make these elements using[br]shapes, or we could rely on components 0:09:33.046,0:09:34.846 and libraries to speed up the process. 0:09:35.206,0:09:37.646 Components are the building[br]blocks of our designs. 0:09:38.136,0:09:40.876 They can be basic UI elements[br]like buttons or icons, 0:09:40.876,0:09:43.906 or more elaborate compositions[br]like toolbars and menus. 0:09:44.706,0:09:47.206 Libraries are collections[br]of components and styles. 0:09:47.746,0:09:53.656 You can use libraries in Figma to create,[br]share, and use components across your files. 0:09:53.716,0:09:55.356 You might have heard of a design system. 0:09:55.836,0:09:58.946 Design systems combine component[br]libraries with standards 0:09:58.946,0:10:01.526 and guidelines for implementing them in code. 0:10:01.526,0:10:04.076 They're a single source of truth[br]for designers and developers 0:10:04.296,0:10:06.856 and help to create consistency at scale. 0:10:07.106,0:10:09.936 Let's look for a component[br]library in the Figma community. 0:10:09.936,0:10:13.646 The Figma community is a space[br]where creators can share resources 0:10:13.646,0:10:15.716 in the form of design files and plugins. 0:10:15.716,0:10:18.386 We're going to use this wireframe UI kit, 0:10:18.386,0:10:20.976 so we'll duplicate the file[br]and add it to our drafts. 0:10:22.146,0:10:25.956 We could copy components from this file[br]and paste them into our wireframes. 0:10:26.496,0:10:29.296 We're going to publish these[br]components to a library instead 0:10:29.686,0:10:31.196 to make them available to our team. 0:10:31.806,0:10:34.636 We'll open the file in the[br]editor and click the arrow next 0:10:34.636,0:10:37.816 to the file name and select Move to Project. 0:10:37.816,0:10:42.236 As components can only be published in a team,[br]we'll move this to a project in our team. 0:10:42.436,0:10:47.856 Now, we can go to the same menu and[br]select Publish Components and Styles. 0:10:48.006,0:10:52.416 We can enter a description of our library[br]and press Publish to share it to our team. 0:10:52.906,0:10:56.296 Back in our original file, we[br]can now access that library 0:10:56.526,0:10:58.906 in the Assets panel of the left sidebar. 0:10:58.906,0:11:01.306 Click the book icon to open the library's modal. 0:11:01.306,0:11:04.646 Toggle the switch to enable[br]the wireframe in our file. 0:11:05.176,0:11:06.646 Let's resize the left sidebar. 0:11:06.646,0:11:11.976 Hover over the edge until the cursor[br]appears, then click and drag to resize. 0:11:12.496,0:11:16.776 Okay, we need components to represent[br]the status bar at the top of the screen, 0:11:16.776,0:11:20.756 and a floating action button,[br]or FAB, at the bottom. 0:11:20.756,0:11:22.506 This generic status bar is perfect. 0:11:22.506,0:11:26.066 To add this component to our file,[br]we can click on the component 0:11:26.066,0:11:29.446 in the assets panel and drag it onto the canvas. 0:11:29.446,0:11:33.166 We'll position the status bar near the[br]top of the frame and release to place. 0:11:33.286,0:11:36.186 We'll align to the top and left. 0:11:36.296,0:11:41.226 Let's repeat this process for the FAB and place[br]it in the bottom and the right of the frame. 0:11:41.226,0:11:48.076 Now, we have copies of these[br]components known as instances. 0:11:48.076,0:11:52.356 Instances are connected to the main[br]component they originated from. 0:11:52.866,0:11:55.046 If you make a change to the main component, 0:11:55.046,0:11:58.256 Figma will also apply those[br]changes to any instances. 0:11:58.506,0:12:02.046 This saves you from having to manually[br]update every instance when you want 0:12:02.046,0:12:07.426 to change properties of your component. 0:12:07.426,0:12:10.776 Our eventual application will need[br]to adapt to different screen sizes. 0:12:11.036,0:12:14.886 If we want to resize our frame[br]now, our components don't change. 0:12:15.636,0:12:20.316 We can make sure they respond to[br]different frame sizes using constraints. 0:12:20.316,0:12:23.946 At the moment, our constraints are[br]set to the top and left by default. 0:12:24.446,0:12:27.246 We want the status bar to take[br]up the full width of the frame, 0:12:27.246,0:12:30.086 so we'll keep the vertical constraints at top 0:12:30.196,0:12:32.706 and set our horizontal constraints[br]to left and right. 0:12:33.416,0:12:36.266 We'll set the constraints for[br]the fab at the bottom and right. 0:12:36.266,0:12:41.886 Now, when we resize our frame, the components[br]will respond according to their constraints. 0:12:41.886,0:12:48.686 Our app is starting to come together. 0:12:48.766,0:12:51.116 Let's create a frame for our menu. 0:12:51.296,0:12:53.926 Select the frame in the toolbar[br]or press the F key. 0:12:53.926,0:12:57.956 We'll add another Google Pixel[br]2XL preset to the canvas. 0:12:58.446,0:13:01.496 Let's add some text layers[br]for each page in our app. 0:13:01.496,0:13:05.366 Press T to select the text tool and[br]click to create a new text layer. 0:13:05.896,0:13:08.016 We'll type in menu item for now. 0:13:08.106,0:13:13.366 We want all our text layers to be the[br]same width, so we'll set the width to 200. 0:13:13.366,0:13:15.876 We'll also increase the font size to 20. 0:13:16.016,0:13:21.816 Let's duplicate this layer to create four[br]more menu items, one for each page in our app. 0:13:21.816,0:13:25.826 Hold down Alt slash Option, then[br]click and drag to duplicate. 0:13:25.986,0:13:29.156 Then, use the duplicate shortcut. 0:13:29.586,0:13:34.116 Let's copy the status bar in Fab from[br]our home page to complete our menu page. 0:13:34.286,0:13:39.656 We'll Click to select the status bar, hold[br]down Shift, then Click to select the Fab. 0:13:40.086,0:13:44.186 We'll then use the shortcut Command[br]C to copy them to our clipboard. 0:13:44.286,0:13:47.276 Select our menu frame and[br]press Command V to paste. 0:13:47.316,0:13:50.486 Figma pastes them in the[br]same position as this frame. 0:13:51.136,0:13:58.166 Nice. I think there are some other[br]ways we could lay out this menu page, 0:13:58.166,0:14:00.096 so let's explore some different approaches. 0:14:00.096,0:14:10.826 Okay, we have a few designs here, but I'm[br]not quite sure which approach to take. 0:14:10.826,0:14:14.756 We could set up a design critique and[br]schedule some time on the calendar, 0:14:14.756,0:14:18.136 but I wonder if anyone on the[br]team is around to help me choose. 0:14:18.236,0:14:20.946 We'll click the Share button in the toolbar. 0:14:20.946,0:14:26.626 As we've already invited everyone on our team,[br]we don't have to invite them to every file. 0:14:27.326,0:14:30.376 We'll click Copy Link and drop[br]the link in our team channel. 0:14:30.376,0:14:35.496 Our team has some existing sticky note[br]components which we love to use for feedback. 0:14:36.226,0:14:39.716 I'll enable that library in this file[br]while I'm waiting for our team to arrive. 0:14:40.886,0:14:44.146 Our team members avatars are[br]showing up in the toolbar. 0:14:44.146,0:14:53.336 To jump to their location on the canvas, we can[br]click on their avatar to enter observation mode. 0:14:53.336,0:14:56.396 It sounds like our team loved the[br]simplicity of our first design, 0:14:56.396,0:14:59.456 but thought that a back button[br]would be better than our fab. 0:15:00.366,0:15:03.776 Someone suggested the menu could be[br]underneath the rest of our content. 0:15:03.776,0:15:05.576 I like that idea. 0:15:05.696,0:15:10.706 Another person pointed out that the center[br]text makes it hard for users to scan quickly. 0:15:11.066,0:15:13.006 That's a great point. 0:15:13.476,0:15:17.646 It looks like fellow design intern Daniel[br]is creating a new version of the menu, 0:15:17.776,0:15:20.946 which incorporates some elements[br]of each of our designs. 0:15:20.946,0:15:23.526 This looks awesome and everyone's[br]on the same page. 0:15:23.586,0:15:27.906 I'm glad we got some feedback on[br]our wireframes before we invested 0:15:27.906,0:15:30.326 in some higher fidelity designs. 0:15:30.326,0:15:32.456 Now, we know which direction to go in. 0:15:32.456,0:15:37.336 We'll see you in our next video where we[br]explore color, typography and imagery.