Figma
208 bites tagged Figma — interview questions with model answers, and 60-second explainers.
How would you use variants, booleans, and instance swap for a Button?
This tests fluency in Figma component properties for scalable design systems. Map variant properties to states, booleans to toggle the icon layer, and instance swap to change the icon type. Never suggest detached overrides or separate components per state.
How would you create a dismissible modal dialog over the current screen?
This tests modal architecture beyond visuals. A strong answer covers: dimming the inert background, trapping focus, returning focus on close, and supporting Escape plus a visible close button.
What is component nesting? Build a profile header from nested components.
Tests atomic design and system scalability. Answer: define nesting as instances inside a parent; describe a profile header using Avatar, Text, and Button instances; note base edits propagate globally. Red flag: one-off layers instead of reusable instances.
How do you let designers swap a component's icon without detaching?
Tests Figma component properties. Answer: apply an instance swap property to the nested icon, set preferred instances from your icon library, and keep it as a component instance. Red flag: suggesting boolean properties or detaching.
How would you structure a complex reusable Figma table with Auto Layout?
Tests nested Auto Layout and component properties for scalable Figma tables. Build atomic hug/fill cells in horizontal row Auto Layout, then stack rows vertically. Expose cell-type swaps via component properties. Red flag: manual resizing or variant bloat.
Main components vs instances: how to use Component Properties for multi-state Buttons?
This tests Figma component architecture. A main component is the source; an instance is a linked copy. Use variant properties for state and style, plus booleans for optional layers. Red flags: separate components per state or ignoring property controls.
Create a crescent moon in Figma using Boolean operations
Tests Figma vector workflow and layer hierarchy. A strong answer picks Subtract selection, places the cutter shape above the base, and notes the bottom layer sets fill and stroke. Confusing Subtract with Exclude or ignoring layer order is a red flag.
Figma Constraints vs Auto Layout: when are Constraints preferable?
This tests resizing logic in Figma. A strong answer states Auto Layout resizes frames to fit content, while Constraints make objects respond to parent frames. It then cites responsive containers, say fluid inputs.
How would you establish design tokens in Figma and sync with production?
Tests design-to-code architecture. A strong answer outlines primitive-to-semantic tokens in Tokens Studio, W3C DTCG JSON synced to Git, and Style Dictionary transforms in CI/CD. Red flag: manual exports or treating Figma styles as the source of truth.
How would you automatically audit WCAG AA contrast in Figma?
This tests Figma plugin vs REST API color extraction limits. Good answers contrast live traversal with export-based analysis, cite WCAG AA ratios of 4.5:1 and 3:1, and note opacity. A red flag is assuming the REST API can sample pixels without image export.
Design a flexible Table component in Figma with slots
Tests Figma Slots to avoid variant bloat. Answer: Cell variants; Row as a horizontal Slot with zero padding for dividers/hover; Table as a vertical Slot for rows plus a header Slot; componentize the configured row for bulk edits.
Describe a workflow to sync Figma tokens to front-end code
Tests if you see tokens as version-controlled code. Strong answer: Tokens Studio pushes W3C DTCG JSON to Git; CI runs Style Dictionary to emit CSS or JS. Red flag: saying the artifact is a Figma file or manual spec sheet.
How do you change a nested Button's state from a Card instance?
Tests knowledge of nested component properties in Figma. A strong answer adds a variant property to the nested Button inside the Card main component so its state appears in the Card instance panel.
How would you use Auto Layout to build a responsive card?
Tests Figma Auto Layout direction, padding, and resizing rules. Answer: stack header, image, and text vertically with a fixed gap; set text to fill width and hug height; wrap in a scaling frame. Red flag: absolute positioning instead of structured Auto Layout.
Why use button variants instead of separate components per state?
Tests Figma component set organization and scalability. Strong answers cite flexible property mixing, reduced combinatorial bloat, and cleaner dev handoff. Red flag: saying only "it's cleaner" without naming navigability or system integrity.
How do you populate one overlay for three profiles using variables?
Tests Figma variables and advanced prototyping. Use Set variable actions on each profile to update a string variable bound to a single overlay's name, plus instance swap for the avatar, then open that overlay.
How would you conditionally enable Submit after checking a terms checkbox?
Tests Figma advanced prototyping with boolean variables and conditionals. Strong answer: create a boolean for checkbox state, set it on click, then conditionally enable Submit only when true.
Create a counter where clicking '+' increases the number by one
Tests Figma number variables and Set variable action. Use a number variable on the text, then add an On click trigger on the plus button with Set variable and an expression to add one. Red flag: using duplicate frames instead of a single dynamic variable.
What conflicts occur when two designers edit shared styles simultaneously?
Tests real-time style propagation. Strong answers note Figma instantly updates every linked object, so uncoordinated color edits surprise the second designer. Best practice: agree on ownership and publish via the team library.
How do you restore one component from Figma version history?
Tests whether you know version history is file-level. Answer: open the file name menu, show version history, find the ~1h autosave, duplicate it to a new file, copy the component, paste back. Red flag: restoring the entire old version and losing later work.
How would you extract Figma Variables via REST API for Style Dictionary?
Tests Figma Variables to Style Dictionary architecture. Outline: paginate REST endpoint, map modes/aliases to W3C draft JSON, then run Style Dictionary in CI from tokens folder. Red flag: raw API payloads without type normalization or alias resolution.
How do you identify responsive breakpoints in Figma for CSS?
Tests if you derive CSS logic from Figma structure, not pixels. A strong answer checks auto layout direction changes, wrap toggles, and resizing rules to find behavior shifts, then maps those widths to queries.
How do Figma variants influence component code structure?
Tests design-to-code translation and component API modeling. Map variant properties to semantic props like size and type; handle interactive states internally via CSS. Prioritize property names over pixel values.
How would you map Figma Variables to CSS Custom Properties for tokens?
This tests bridging Figma variable collections and modes into maintainable CSS. A strong answer maps collections to semantic CSS custom properties, supports mode switching via data attributes, and mirrors design system naming.
Get Figma bites daily.
Five a day, five minutes, offline. With quizzes so it sticks.
Open testing — you’ll join as an early tester.