Stop 06 · Design Collaboration & UXTopics · 4/10

Figma Basics for PMs

In short

Your designers live in Figma. You don't need to draw, but you do need to find the latest screen, leave clear comments and check specs without asking every time.

Enough Figma fluency to navigate a design file, leave comments, inspect a component, and understand version history — you don't need to design, just to collaborate inside the tool.

The purple blob sticks sticky notes with arrows onto a big pinboard full of shapes.

Think of it like this

The shared pinboard

Think of a big class pinboard everyone can see. Designers pin the drawings, you stick notes right next to the part you mean, and nobody emails photos around. Figma is that board, live and always up to date.

Watch it happen

How a Figma file is organised

File

Page: Ready

Page: Explore

Frame: Login

Frame: Home

Button (instance)

Old ideas

1/5A file usually holds one feature or product area. Ask your designer which file is the source of truth.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Comment on the spot

Press C and click the exact element. Pinned comments beat long Slack threads.

Dev Mode and inspect

Select a layer to see sizes, spacing and colours. Useful for checking a build matches design.

Version history

File menu shows past versions. Handy when someone asks "what did we agree last week?"

Present mode

Run the prototype in present mode during reviews instead of scrolling the canvas.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Editing the designer's frames directly to show your idea.

Do this instead

Duplicate the frame onto your own page, or leave a comment. Respect their working space.

Oops

Reviewing whatever frame you find first.

Do this instead

Ask which page is final. Many files hold several old versions side by side.

Your mission

Take a Figma tour

~30 min

Quick check

An engineer asks for the exact padding on a card. What's the quickest way to find it?

Go deeper

1Create a free Figma account and explore a public community file.
2Practice leaving a specific, actionable comment on a design (not just 'looks good').
3Learn to use Figma's inspect mode to check spacing and copy without asking a designer.