UI/UX Design Prototyping & Design Tools Syllabus

Prototyping & Design Tools syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Prototyping & Design Tools in UI/UX Design, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Figma Fundamentals

   4 topics

   • Frames, Layers, and the Canvas
   • Auto Layout
   • Components and Variants
   • Styles, Variables, and Tokens
2. 2

   Prototyping

   4 topics

   • Interactive Prototypes
   • Triggers, Actions, and Transitions
   • Smart Animate
   • Conditional Logic and Variables
3. 3

   Collaboration & Handoff

   4 topics

   • FigJam and Collaborative Workshops
   • Design Specs and Developer Handoff
   • Version Control and Branching
   • Commenting and Feedback Workflows
4. 4

   Other Design Tools

   3 topics

   • Sketch and Adobe XD
   • Framer and Advanced Prototyping
   • Whiteboarding and Diagramming Tools

Prototyping & Design Tools flashcards for UI/UX Design

23 of 50 cards from the Prototyping & Design Tools deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In Figma, what is a Frame and how does it differ from a Group?

   A Frame is a container with its own bounds, layout properties, and constraints — it can have Auto Layout, fills, grids, and clip content, and defines its children's coordinate space. A Group is just a loose wrapper whose size is derived from its children and has no independent properties.

2. What is the Canvas in Figma?

   The infinite, zoomable workspace inside a page where frames, shapes, and other layers are placed. Objects can live directly on the canvas or inside frames.

3. What does the Layers panel show, and how does layer stacking order work?

   It shows the hierarchical tree of all objects on the current page. Layers higher in the panel render on top of layers below them; nesting reflects parent-child containment (e.g., objects inside frames).

4. What are constraints in Figma and what do they control?

   Constraints define how a child layer behaves when its parent frame is resized — pinning it to left/right/top/bottom, centering it, or scaling/stretching it with the parent.

5. What is Auto Layout in Figma?

   A frame property that automatically arranges children in a row, column, or wrap layout with defined spacing, padding, and alignment, so the frame resizes dynamically as content changes — analogous to CSS flexbox.

6. In Auto Layout, what do the resizing options 'Hug contents', 'Fill container', and 'Fixed' mean?

   Hug contents: the frame shrinks/grows to fit its children. Fill container: the element stretches to fill available space in its Auto Layout parent. Fixed: the dimension stays at a set value regardless of content.

7. What is the difference between padding and item spacing (gap) in Auto Layout?

   Padding is the space between the frame's edges and its children; item spacing (gap) is the space between sibling items inside the Auto Layout frame.

8. What is 'space between' (auto) spacing in Auto Layout used for?

   It distributes children so the first and last items sit at the frame's edges and remaining space is divided equally between items — useful for navigation bars and justified toolbars.

9. What is a Component in Figma and why use one?

   A reusable master element (main component) from which instances are created. Editing the main component propagates changes to all instances, ensuring consistency and reducing maintenance across a design system.

10. What is the difference between a main component and an instance?

    The main component is the source of truth that defines structure and styling; an instance is a linked copy that inherits from it. Instances can override text, fills, and swaps but cannot change the underlying structure unless detached.

11. What are Variants in Figma?

    Multiple related states of a component (e.g., button default/hover/disabled, small/large) combined into a single component set, switchable via variant properties in the instance panel.

12. Name the four component property types in Figma besides variant properties.

    Boolean (show/hide a layer), Instance swap (replace a nested instance, e.g., an icon), Text (edit a text layer's content), and Variant (switch between predefined states).

13. What happens when you detach an instance from its component?

    The link to the main component is severed: the element becomes a plain frame, keeps its current appearance, but no longer receives updates from the main component.

14. What are Styles in Figma and what property types can they store?

    Named, reusable definitions applied across a file or via libraries. Figma supports color (paint) styles, text styles, effect styles (shadows/blurs), and layout grid styles.

15. What are Variables in Figma and what types exist?

    Reusable values that can be bound to design properties and changed dynamically (including in prototypes). Types: color, number, string, and boolean.

16. What are design tokens?

    Named, platform-agnostic key-value pairs that store design decisions (e.g., color.primary, spacing.md, font.size.body) so the same values can be shared consistently between design tools and code.

17. How do variable modes support theming in Figma?

    Each variable collection can define multiple modes (e.g., light/dark, compact/comfortable). A variable holds a different value per mode, so switching a frame's mode re-themes everything bound to those variables instantly.

18. Describe the token aliasing hierarchy: primitive vs. semantic tokens.

    Primitive (global) tokens hold raw values (e.g., blue-500 = #2196F3). Semantic (alias) tokens reference primitives with meaning-based names (e.g., color-action-primary → blue-500), letting themes change by re-pointing aliases without touching components.

19. What is an interactive prototype in Figma?

    A clickable simulation built by connecting frames with interaction links (noodles) in Prototype mode, letting stakeholders and testers experience flows, transitions, and states without code.

20. What is a flow starting point in Figma prototyping?

    A designated frame that marks the beginning of a prototype flow. A file can have multiple named flows, each shareable and playable independently in Presentation view.

21. What is a prototype 'hotspot'?

    The interactive region (a frame, layer, or component) that has an interaction attached, i.e., the tappable/clickable area that triggers a prototype action.

22. In prototyping, what is the difference between a trigger and an action?

    A trigger is the user event or condition that starts an interaction (e.g., On click, On drag, After delay); an action is what happens in response (e.g., Navigate to, Open overlay, Set variable).

23. List five common prototype triggers in Figma.

    On click/tap, On drag, While hovering, While pressing, Mouse enter/leave, Key/gamepad input, and After delay (any five).

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