Design review workflows in Figma - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Design review workflows

Goal

Understand how design review workflows help teams track feedback and approval status for design projects.

Sample Data

Design ID	Designer	Review Stage	Reviewer	Status	Comments	Review Date
D001	Alice	Initial Review	Bob	Approved	Looks good	2024-06-01
D002	Charlie	Initial Review	Dana	Needs Changes	Adjust colors	2024-06-02
D001	Alice	Final Review	Eva	Approved	Ready to publish	2024-06-05
D003	Frank	Initial Review	Bob	Needs Changes	Fix alignment	2024-06-03
D002	Charlie	Final Review	Eva	Approved	Good now	2024-06-06
D004	Grace	Initial Review	Dana	Approved	Nice layout	2024-06-04

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Designs Reviewed
  Formula: Count of unique Design IDs in the data.
  Result: 4
• KPI Card: Designs Approved
  Formula: Count of rows where Status = 'Approved'.
  Result: 4
• KPI Card: Designs Needing Changes
  Formula: Count of rows where Status = 'Needs Changes'.
  Result: 2
• Bar Chart: Reviews by Stage and Status
  Description: Shows count of reviews grouped by Review Stage (Initial, Final) and colored by Status (Approved, Needs Changes).
  Data points:
  - Initial Review: Approved=3, Needs Changes=2
  - Final Review: Approved=2, Needs Changes=0
• Table: Detailed Review Comments
  Description: Shows Design ID, Designer, Review Stage, Reviewer, Status, Comments, Review Date.
  Allows filtering by Status and Review Stage.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| Total Designs Reviewed| Designs Approved     | Designs Needing      |
|          [4]          |         [4]          |      Changes [2]     |
+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      Bar Chart: Reviews by Stage and Status       |
|                      (Grouped bars for Initial and Final stages) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      Table: Detailed Review Comments             |
|                      (Scrollable with filters)                  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Filters for Status and Review Stage apply to both the Bar Chart and the Detailed Review Comments Table. Selecting a status or stage updates the counts in the KPIs and the data shown in the chart and table.

Clicking a bar segment in the Bar Chart filters the table to show only reviews matching that stage and status.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Status = 'Needs Changes', which components update?

• KPI Cards: Designs Needing Changes will show 2, Designs Approved will update to 0, Total Designs Reviewed updates to 2.
• Bar Chart: Only bars for 'Needs Changes' status remain visible.
• Table: Shows only rows where Status = 'Needs Changes'.

Key Result

Dashboard showing design review progress with KPIs, status-stage bar chart, and detailed comments table.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of design review workflows in Figma?

easy

A. To export designs as images only

B. To create new design files from scratch

C. To write code for design automation

D. To help teams give and track feedback easily

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand design review workflows

   Design review workflows focus on collaboration and feedback during design creation.

2. Step 2: Identify the main goal in Figma context

   Figma uses comments and approvals to track feedback and finalize designs smoothly.

3. Final Answer:

   To help teams give and track feedback easily -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Design review workflows = feedback tracking [OK]

Hint: Think collaboration and feedback tracking in design [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing design creation with review process
• Thinking workflows are for coding or exporting only
• Ignoring feedback tracking as a key purpose

2. Which Figma feature is primarily used to link feedback directly to specific parts of a design during review?

easy

A. Layers panel

B. Comments

C. Prototype links

D. Export settings

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify feedback tools in Figma

   Comments allow users to leave notes tied to exact design areas.

2. Step 2: Compare with other features

   Layers panel organizes design elements, prototypes link screens, exports save files; none link feedback directly.

3. Final Answer:

   Comments -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Feedback linked to design = Comments [OK]

Hint: Feedback linked to design parts means comments [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing Layers panel which only organizes elements
• Confusing prototype links with feedback tools
• Selecting export settings unrelated to feedback

3. In a Figma design review, if a comment is marked as resolved, what happens to it?

medium

A. It is hidden from the main view but can be accessed later

B. It sends an email notification to all team members

C. It automatically deletes the related design element

D. It disappears permanently from the file

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand comment resolution in Figma

   Resolved comments are hidden from the main view to reduce clutter but remain accessible.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   Comments do not delete design elements or disappear permanently; email notifications are manual.

3. Final Answer:

   It is hidden from the main view but can be accessed later -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Resolved comment = hidden, not deleted [OK]

Hint: Resolved comments hide but stay accessible [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking resolved comments delete design parts
• Assuming comments vanish permanently
• Believing resolution triggers automatic emails

4. You notice that team members cannot add comments on a shared Figma file during review. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The file has too many layers to comment on

B. Comments are disabled by default in Figma

C. The file is set to 'View only' access for those members

D. The file is not saved properly

Solution

1. Step 1: Check access permissions in Figma

   Only users with 'Can edit' or 'Can comment' access can add comments; 'View only' restricts commenting.

2. Step 2: Review other options

   Layer count does not block comments, comments are enabled by default, and saving issues do not restrict commenting.

3. Final Answer:

   The file is set to 'View only' access for those members -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Access level controls commenting ability [OK]

Hint: Check if users have comment or edit access [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming layer count for comment issues
• Thinking comments are off by default
• Assuming saving errors block commenting

5. A team wants to finalize a design in Figma after multiple rounds of feedback. Which workflow step ensures the design is officially approved and ready for handoff?

hard

A. Resolving all comments and marking the design as approved

B. Deleting all comments to clean the file

C. Duplicating the file for backup before sharing

D. Exporting the design as PNG images

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand finalizing design workflows

   Final approval involves resolving comments and marking the design approved to confirm readiness.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for official approval

   Deleting comments removes feedback history, exporting images is for delivery, duplicating file is backup but not approval.

3. Step 3: Identify the best step for official approval

   Resolving comments and marking approved is the key step to finalize design for handoff.

4. Final Answer:

   Resolving all comments and marking the design as approved -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Final approval = resolve comments + approve [OK]

Hint: Final approval means resolve comments and mark approved [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Deleting comments instead of resolving them
• Confusing backup with approval
• Thinking exporting images finalizes design