Unlocking the Power of Prototyping in Figma

Prototyping is an essential step in the design process, allowing designers to communicate their vision to stakeholders and test the usability of their designs. In Figma, designers can create interactive and realistic prototypes that simulate the user experience. One crucial aspect of prototyping is scrolling, which is essential for designing user interfaces for digital products.

Configuring Overflow Scrolling in Figma

To create a seamless user experience, designers need to configure overflow scrolling in Figma. This involves setting up horizontal and vertical scrolling to ensure that content is displayed correctly. To enable overflow scrolling, the frame must contain “overflowing” content that extends beyond its bounds. Figma provides three different overflow behaviors: horizontal scrolling, vertical scrolling, and both combined.

Horizontal Overflow Scrolling

Horizontal scrolling is useful for designing interactive prototypes, such as scrolling through a carousel of images or scanning a zoomed-in visualization. To enable horizontal overflow scrolling, ensure that content extends past the width of the frame. Designers can then select the frame and adjust the bounding box to resize the frame, allowing the content to overflow.

Vertical Overflow Scrolling

Vertical scrolling is commonly used in prototypes to reveal hidden content that lies below the fold. To enable vertical overflow scrolling, adjust the bounding box of the frame so that the content overflows over the top or bottom bounds. Designers can then select the Vertical scrolling option from the Overflow scrolling dropdown.

Clipping Content

Clipping content allows designers to hide content within a frame that extends beyond its bounds. This is useful when designers want to display only the content that appears inside the frame’s bounding box and hide all content that overflows. To clip content, select the frame and check the Clip Content option in the Design panel.

Fixing Object Positions

When creating a prototype, designers may want to fix certain elements to the screen, such as a header or navigation menu. To fix an object, select it and set both horizontal and vertical constraints. Then, check the Fix position when scrolling option.

Preserving Scroll Position

Preserving the scroll position is an advanced technique that ensures a realistic user experience. When transitioning between different screens in a prototype, designers can preserve the scroll position to maintain the user’s context. To preserve the scroll position, select the Preserve scroll position option in the Interaction details panel.

Prototyping for Different Devices

Figma provides a wide selection of popular devices to choose from, allowing designers to present their prototypes within the frame of a specific device. This feature ensures that designs are responsive and adapt to different screen sizes.

Elevating Your Prototypes

By mastering the art of prototyping in Figma, designers can create realistic and interactive experiences that communicate their vision to stakeholders. By configuring overflow scrolling, clipping content, fixing object positions, and preserving scroll positions, designers can elevate their prototypes and create polished designs that shine.

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