Figma Interface and Navigation

1. Canvas and Artboards

The Canvas in Figma is the infinite workspace where you create and arrange your designs. Think of it as a digital sheet of paper that you can zoom in and out of, move around, and place your designs on. Artboards, on the other hand, are fixed-size containers within the Canvas that represent individual screens or pages of your design. They are like sticky notes on a whiteboard, each containing a specific part of your project.

Example: When designing a mobile app, you might create multiple Artboards, each representing a different screen like the home page, settings page, and profile page. These Artboards are placed on the Canvas, allowing you to see and navigate between them easily.

2. Layers Panel

The Layers Panel in Figma is where you manage and organize all the elements within your Artboards. It displays a hierarchical view of your design, showing layers and groups in a tree-like structure. This panel is akin to the layers in Photoshop or Illustrator, but with the added benefit of real-time collaboration. You can rearrange, hide, lock, and edit layers directly from this panel.

Example: If you are designing a website, the Layers Panel might show a group for the header, another for the main content, and a third for the footer. Within each group, you can see individual elements like text boxes, images, and buttons, making it easy to manage and edit them.

3. Toolbar and Shortcuts

The Toolbar in Figma is a collection of tools and options that allow you to create and modify your designs. It includes tools for selecting, drawing shapes, adding text, and more. Shortcuts are keyboard commands that perform specific actions quickly, enhancing your workflow. For instance, pressing "V" activates the selection tool, while "T" activates the text tool. These shortcuts are like hotkeys in other software, allowing you to work faster and more efficiently.

Example: If you need to add a rectangle to your design, you can either click the rectangle tool in the Toolbar or press the "R" key as a shortcut. Similarly, to duplicate an element, you can use the shortcut "Cmd + D" (Mac) or "Ctrl + D" (Windows), which is much quicker than navigating through the menu.