Designilo

Introduction: Make Your Prototypes Feel Real

Prototyping in Figma used to require duplicating screens just to show simple changes—like toggling a switch or opening a dropdown. But with Interactive Components, you can simulate those micro-interactions directly inside the component itself.

This article explains what Interactive Components are, how they work, and how to use them to build more realistic, efficient prototypes—without duplicating frames.

1. What Are Interactive Components?

Interactive Components are components that contain their own prototype interactions, like:

• Hover effects
• Toggle states (on/off)
• Accordion opens
• Checkbox selection
• Tab navigation

They allow interactions to happen within the component, so you don’t need to create a whole new screen or frame just to show one state change.

2. Why Use Them?

✅ Fewer Frames
Build once—reuse everywhere. No need to create multiple versions of a screen just to simulate a toggle or menu.

✅ Smarter Prototypes
Make interactions feel closer to the real product: menus open, buttons animate, cards expand—all with one click.

✅ Faster Iteration
Designers can test and tweak interactions without rebuilding flows.

✅ Reusability
Once you build a component with interactions, you can reuse it across files and projects.

3. How to Create an Interactive Component

Here’s a step-by-step example using a toggle switch:

Step 1: Create the Base Component

• Draw your toggle in its default state (e.g. “off”)
• Turn it into a component (Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + K)

Step 2: Create a Variant

• Click + next to Variants panel
• Now you have two variants: Off and On

Step 3: Add an Interaction

• In Prototype tab, select the toggle handle in Variant 1
• Add an interaction:
  On Click → Change to → Variant 2 (On)
  (and vice versa for Variant 2)

Step 4: Customize Animation

• Choose Smart Animate for a smooth transition
• Adjust timing and easing if needed

Now, whenever you click that component in a prototype, it toggles states—without changing screens.

4. Best Use Cases for Interactive Components

Use Case	Example
Toggle switches	Dark mode on/off
Checkboxes	Select/deselect items
Dropdown menus	Show/hide options
Accordions	Expandable FAQ sections
Tabs	Tabbed navigation
Buttons with hover	Hover effects for CTA buttons
Modal open/close	Triggering lightboxes

These interactions are especially helpful for simulating micro-interactions and UI behavior during testing and demos.

5. Tips for Smooth Usage

• Name your variants clearly (On, Off, Hover, Pressed)
• Keep interactions inside the component (avoid adding prototype links externally unless needed)
• Use Auto Layout for dynamic resizing
• Test the interaction in isolation before embedding in a flow

🎯 Bonus: Combine with Figma Variables for stateful controls (e.g. different colors per brand).

6. Limitations to Be Aware Of

While powerful, interactive components have a few constraints:

• No conditional logic (e.g. IF A is clicked AND B is selected…)
• Not ideal for deep nesting (too many layers can cause bugs)
• Only prototyping interactions, not runtime state
• Can’t simulate data-driven behavior (like form validation)

Still, they’re more than enough for most UX interactions.

7. How to Preview Interactive Components

• Use Presentation mode to see the toggle in action
• Share a link with stakeholders to demonstrate behavior
• Combine with flow-level prototyping for full-screen navigation

✅ They make prototypes feel interactive, not just clickable.

Conclusion: Build Smarter, Not More

Interactive Components let you design smarter prototypes that require fewer screens and feel more real. Whether you’re testing user flows, showcasing behavior to stakeholders, or handing off to devs, this feature can streamline everything.

The more you master them, the more powerful and lean your design files become.

Next up: “How to Build a Token-Based Component Library in Figma” — where we’ll explore how to connect design tokens and components for scalable design systems.