Introduction
I introduced Figma to our organisation in 2022, seeing its potential for collaboration, flexibility, and industry relevance. Its real-time features quickly became a key part of our hybrid work setup, allowing teams to work together smoothly on projects.
In 2024, I created and led an 8-week training program for new interns. The program focused on teaching practical Figma skills to help them integrate easily into our design team and make full use of the platform in their daily tasks.
Programme Structure
The programme was delivered over eight weekly sessions, covering the following topics:
Session 1. Getting Started
This Chapter Covers: Homepage, Workspaces, Drafts & Files, Paid Vs. Free Accounts, Creating Design Files, Managing Design Files, Navigating Design Files, Exploring Pages, The Toolbar, Layers Panel, Working with Layers, Design Panel, Design Properties, Prototype Panel.
Session 2. Working with Figma
This Chapter Covers: Introduction to Frames, Frames Vs. Groups, Introduction to Grids & Guides, Layout Grids, Setting up Layout Grids, Grid Systems, Creating Text, Modern Type Rules, Colour Theory & Principles, Shadows, Blurs, Gradients, Using the Shape Tool, Using the Pen Tool, Scale Tool, Working with Images, Modern Image Use, Presenting in Figma, Exporting From Figma, Sharing Figma Files, Leaving Comments, Introducing Multi-Edit.
Session 3. Introduction to Prototyping
This Chapter Covers: Overview of Prototyping, How Prototyping is Used, Creating Animation in Figma with Prototypes.
This chapter involves independently watching hand-picked YouTube videos, the goal here to introduce you to the community on YouTube as well as learning Prototyping in Figma.
Session 4. Advanced Figma Features
This Chapter Covers: Creating Complex Shapes with Booleans, Types of Boolean, What are Styles, What are Variables, Creating Styles & Variables, Introduction to Auto-Layout, Using Auto-Layout & Examples, Introduction to the Box Model, The Relationship Between Auto-Layout and Flexbox, Figma’s Developer Mode.
Session 5. Working with Components
This Chapter Covers: What is a Component?, How do Components & Instances Work?, Let’s Create a Component, Preparing for Component Building, Pre-Planning Potential Breakages, Preparing for Variations, Component Properties, Component Property Types, Best Practices for Component Handover, Instancing our New Components.
Session 6. Understanding Atomic Design
This Chapter Covers: What is Atomic Design?, Stages of Atomic Design, Examples of Atomic Design, Benefits of the Atomic Design Methodology, Next Steps.
Session 7. Workflow & Next Steps
This Chapter Covers: Figma Community, Working with Plug-Ins, Recommended Plug-Ins, Files Management & Best Practices, Backing Up.
Session 8. Developing Design Taste
This Chapter Covers: What is Design Taste?, What is Design Instinct?, 12 Quick Ways to use Figma to Develop Design Taste.
Each session included live instruction via video call, interactive presentations using Figma Slides, and a dedicated workspace for real-time collaboration. Sessions concluded with a hands-on task and feedback opportunties to consolidate learning and allow any questions to be answered.
My Role
As the creator of this programme, I;
Impact & Results
The sessions received positive feedback, with interns reporting increased confidence in using Figma. This boost in confidence was evident in their improved efficiency and task completion within the team. Many more-senior designers also joined the sessions and shared that revisiting the concepts was valuable for them, which was fantastic to hear!
Reflection and Opportunities for Improvement
Leading these sessions was a rewarding experience. The structured approach, combining instruction, practice, and feedback, kept participants engaged and provided a clear path for developing their skills in Figma.
For future iterations of these sessions, I would make the following improvements:
- Incorporate more advanced prototyping exercises: These could be added throughout to reinforce the concepts covered in session three.
- Dedicate a session to Auto Layout: This tool was a common challenge for newcomers, so giving it its own session would allow more time to build understanding and confidence.
- Split the session on components into two parts: This would allow us to focus on both the value of components for team workflows and the practical skills needed to create them.
These sessions proved really successful,. The internship programme at our organisation has always focussed on giving young designers a wide variety of knowledge and I take a huge amount of pride in being the one to teach these young designers a platform as powerful as Figma. I would love to expand this further and make these sessions more accessible in the future.
