Component set best practices in Figma - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a UI/UX designer working on a business intelligence dashboard project.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to create reusable component sets in Figma to ensure consistency and efficiency across the dashboard design.

📊 Data: You have access to various UI elements like buttons, input fields, dropdowns, and cards that need to be standardized.

🎯 Deliverable: Create component sets in Figma following best practices for naming, organization, and variants to support easy reuse and scalability.

Sample Data

Component	State	Properties
Button	Default	Color: Blue, Size: Medium
Button	Hover	Color: Dark Blue, Size: Medium
Button	Disabled	Color: Gray, Size: Medium
Input Field	Empty	Border: Light Gray, Placeholder: Yes
Input Field	Focused	Border: Blue, Placeholder: Yes
Dropdown	Closed	Arrow: Down, Border: Gray
Dropdown	Open	Arrow: Up, Border: Blue
Card	Default	Shadow: Yes, Padding: Medium
Card	Selected	Shadow: Strong, Border: Blue

1

Step 1: Organize all UI elements into logical groups in Figma layers panel.

Create separate frames named 'Buttons', 'Input Fields', 'Dropdowns', and 'Cards' to hold related components.

Expected Result

Layers panel shows four clear groups for each UI element type.

2

Step 2: Create individual components for each UI element state.

Select each UI element variant (e.g., Button Default, Button Hover) and use 'Create Component' feature.

Expected Result

Each UI element state is a separate component in Figma.

3

Step 3: Combine related components into component sets using variants.

Select all Button components and use 'Combine as Variants' to create a Button component set with 'State' property.

Expected Result

Button component set with variants for Default, Hover, and Disabled states.

4

Step 4: Name component sets and variants clearly using consistent naming conventions.

Use names like 'Button / State=Default', 'Button / State=Hover', etc.

Expected Result

Component names are easy to understand and follow a pattern.

5

Step 5: Add properties to component sets for easy customization.

Use variant properties such as 'State' for buttons and 'Open/Closed' for dropdowns.

Expected Result

Component sets allow switching states via properties without duplicating components.

6

Step 6: Use auto layout inside components for responsive resizing.

Apply auto layout to buttons and cards to maintain padding and alignment when resized.

Expected Result

Components resize smoothly and maintain consistent spacing.

7

Step 7: Document component usage guidelines in a Figma page or file.

Create a page named 'Design System' with instructions and examples for using component sets.

Expected Result

Team members can easily understand how to use and customize components.

Final Result

┌───────────────────────────────┐
│       COMPONENT SETS           │
├─────────────┬───────────────┤
│ Button      │ State         │
│             │ Default       │
│             │ Hover         │
│             │ Disabled      │
├─────────────┼───────────────┤
│ Input Field │ State         │
│             │ Empty         │
│             │ Focused       │
├─────────────┼───────────────┤
│ Dropdown    │ State         │
│             │ Closed        │
│             │ Open          │
├─────────────┼───────────────┤
│ Card        │ State         │
│             │ Default       │
│             │ Selected      │
└─────────────┴───────────────┘

✓Component sets with variants reduce duplication and improve consistency.

✓Clear naming conventions make components easy to find and use.

✓Auto layout ensures components adapt well to different sizes.

✓Documenting usage helps the whole team maintain design standards.

Bonus Challenge

Create a color theme variant property for buttons to switch between Primary, Secondary, and Danger styles within the same component set.

Show Hint

Add a new variant property called 'Type' with options 'Primary', 'Secondary', and 'Danger' and define color styles for each.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a component set in Figma?

easy

A. To export images faster

B. To create unrelated components in one file

C. To group similar components with different states or versions

D. To add animations to components

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand component sets

   Component sets group similar components that have different states or versions, like buttons with different colors or sizes.

2. Step 2: Identify the main purpose

   This grouping helps keep designs consistent and easy to update across the project.

3. Final Answer:

   To group similar components with different states or versions -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Component sets = group similar components [OK]

Hint: Component sets group variants of one element type [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking component sets are for unrelated components
• Confusing component sets with export tools
• Assuming component sets add animations

2. Which of the following is the correct way to name variants inside a component set in Figma?

easy

A. Button1 and Button2

B. Primary-Hover and Primary-Default with dashes

C. HoverState and DefaultState without slashes

D. Primary / Hover and Primary / Default

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variant naming conventions

   Figma recommends using clear variant names separated by slashes to indicate states, like "Primary / Hover".

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Options without slashes or with generic names like "Button1" are less clear and not best practice.

3. Final Answer:

   Primary / Hover and Primary / Default -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use slashes for variant names [OK]

Hint: Use slashes to separate variant names clearly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using generic names like Button1, Button2
• Not using slashes to separate variant states
• Using dashes instead of slashes

3. Given a component set with variants named "Size / Small", "Size / Medium", and "Size / Large", what happens if you add a new variant named "Color / Red" to the same set?

medium

A. It creates a new variant group unrelated to size, causing confusion

B. It merges with existing size variants automatically

C. It renames all variants to "Color / Red"

D. It deletes the previous size variants

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variant grouping in component sets

   Variants in a set should focus on one property, like size or color, to keep sets clear.

2. Step 2: Analyze adding a different variant property

   Adding "Color / Red" to a size-focused set creates a new variant property, which can confuse the set's purpose.

3. Final Answer:

   It creates a new variant group unrelated to size, causing confusion -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Keep variant sets focused on one property [OK]

Hint: Keep variant sets focused on one property [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming variants merge automatically
• Thinking variants rename others
• Believing variants delete previous ones

4. You created a component set but notice that some variants have inconsistent naming like "Primary-Default" and "Primary / Hover". What is the best way to fix this?

medium

A. Rename all variants to use consistent slash-separated names

B. Delete the variant with the dash and recreate it

C. Ignore the inconsistency as it does not affect usage

D. Merge the variants into one component

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify naming inconsistency problem

   Inconsistent variant names cause confusion and make it harder to use the component set properly.

2. Step 2: Apply best practice for naming

   Renaming all variants to use consistent slash-separated names improves clarity and usability.

3. Final Answer:

   Rename all variants to use consistent slash-separated names -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Consistent naming improves component set clarity [OK]

Hint: Fix variant names to use consistent slashes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Deleting variants unnecessarily
• Ignoring naming inconsistencies
• Merging variants incorrectly

5. You have a button component set with variants for size (Small, Medium, Large) and state (Default, Hover, Disabled). What is the best practice to organize these variants in Figma?

hard

A. Create separate component sets for size and state variants

B. Use two variant properties named "Size" and "State" with clear values for each

C. Combine size and state into one variant property with all combinations

D. Use generic names like "Variant1", "Variant2" for all variants

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variant properties in component sets

   Figma allows multiple variant properties to organize variants clearly, such as "Size" and "State".

2. Step 2: Apply best practice for organizing variants

   Using two variant properties with clear values keeps the set manageable and easy to use.

3. Final Answer:

   Use two variant properties named "Size" and "State" with clear values for each -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use multiple variant properties for clarity [OK]

Hint: Use multiple variant properties for complex variants [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Creating separate sets for related variants
• Combining all variants into one property
• Using unclear generic variant names