UI Design
57 bites tagged UI Design — interview questions with model answers, and 60-second explainers.
Prototype Overlays: Layer Without Duplication
Overlays layer modals and menus above your current screen like a transparency sheet, so you never duplicate frames. Use them for dropdowns, dialogs, and toasts. The footgun is fixing them to the screen edge instead of the trigger, which breaks on resize.
Boolean Component Properties in Figma
Boolean properties in Figma are light switches for layers inside a component. They let you toggle an icon or badge on and off without spawning extra variants. The catch is that hiding a layer can break auto-layout if that layer was anchoring spacing.
Text Resizing in Figma Auto Layout
Text in Auto Layout does not wrap by default. A label set to Auto Width grows forever, while a parent set to Hug follows it. The footgun is leaving text on Auto Width inside a responsive card and expecting it to behave like a paragraph.
Figma Permissions Cascade Downward
Figma permissions flow downward: team access opens every project and file inside it. Use share links for quick reviews, but direct invites gate specific files. Inviting someone to a team exposes every project, while a file invite keeps the rest hidden.
Designing for Reduced Motion
Treat UI animations as an enhancement some users must disable for comfort. The `prefers-reduced-motion` media query lets you respect system-level accessibility settings, preventing vestibular triggers.
POUR: The Four Pillars of Web Accessibility
POUR is a mental model for web accessibility. It asks: can users Perceive content, Operate the interface, Understand the information, and use it with Robust tools? It applies to all UI design.
Figma Video: It's a Fill, Not a Layer
Treat video in Figma as just another fill, not a special layer. Apply it to any shape to prototype video players or motion backgrounds. The footgun is forgetting it requires a paid plan to upload and won't play in the Figma mobile app.
WCAG Color Contrast: A Readability Score, Not an Opinion
WCAG color contrast is a mathematical ratio ensuring text is readable for people with vision impairments. Use it for all text and UI elements. The footgun is only testing on a good monitor or forgetting that large text has a lower 3:1 requirement.
Hick's Law: More Choices, Slower Decisions
Hick's Law states that decision time increases logarithmically with the number of choices. It's why complex menus slow users down, forcing them into analysis paralysis.
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