Designilo

Introduction: From Just Works to Reworks

Reusable components are the foundation of scalable design systems—but only if they’re built correctly. Too often, components look great on the surface but break under pressure: misaligned padding, missing props, unlinked variables, or locked content.

This guide is your ultimate checklist for building bulletproof, reusable components in Figma that work across teams, themes, and screen sizes.

✅ 1. Set Up Auto Layout Properly

Auto Layout is the heart of flexible components. For every component:

• Use Auto Layout on the main frame
• Apply consistent padding and spacing
• Set Hug, Fill, or Fixed sizing based on use case
• Align content properly (center, start, end)
• Nest Auto Layouts for complex structures (e.g. button + icon + label)

💡 Bonus: Use direction arrows in naming (Btn →, Tag ⬅) to reflect layout flow.

✅ 2. Use Descriptive and Structured Naming

Clear naming = easier reuse and inspection.

• Name components with their function (Button/Primary, Input/Text/Default)
• Avoid generic names like Frame 12 or Component 18
• Include variant values in names (Size=Sm, State=Hover)
• Organize with slashes (Component/Variant/State) for logical grouping

📁 Structure your component assets in the Figma Library panel.

✅ 3. Use Component Properties Thoughtfully

Figma’s component properties give you flexibility without bloat.

• Use Boolean properties to show/hide icons, labels, etc.
• Use Instance Swap properties for icons or embedded elements
• Use Text properties for dynamic content
• Use Variant properties for size, state, and style

🚀 Well-configured props = fewer overrides, faster design.

✅ 4. Design for All States and Sizes

Reusability means your component handles reality.

• Include default, hover, active, disabled, loading states
• Create small, medium, and large sizes (or responsive styles)
• Handle edge cases like long text, no icon, or multiline content
• Ensure components work in both light and dark modes

🧪 Drop components into multiple layouts to stress test them.

✅ 5. Link to Tokens via Variables

Instead of using raw color or spacing values:

• Use Figma Variables for all fills, strokes, text colors
• Apply spacing and radius tokens where possible
• Support multiple modes (light, dark, brands)
• Name tokens semantically (button.bg.primary, text.label.sm)

🔗 This bridges design and code, improving dev handoff.

✅ 6. Enable Smart Scaling and Constraints

Good components stretch—but don’t break.

• Test how components behave when resized
• Use width and height constraints properly (e.g. icon pinned left, label centered)
• Avoid fixed sizes unless necessary
• Ensure elements scale proportionally

📏 Especially important for buttons, cards, and inputs.

✅ 7. Add Inline Documentation (Optional but Helpful)

Consider including:

• A short description in the component
• Notes for devs or other designers (e.g. icon size, behavior rules)
• Example frames showing usage or combinations
• Tooltips via sticky notes

💬 Documentation reduces guesswork and misuse.

✅ 8. Check for Overrides and Errors

Before publishing:

• Detach test instances and inspect override behavior
• Ensure properties are exposed cleanly in the right order
• Test switching variants and toggling props
• Validate Auto Layout doesn’t shift in weird ways

🔁 Make a checklist page called “Component QA” in your design system file.

✅ 9. Publish and Name Versions

Once ready:

• Publish to the correct team library
• Write a short changelog if it’s a new version
• Name the component clearly in the Assets panel
• Avoid renaming published components unless absolutely necessary

🛠 Stable names = stable code references.

✅ 10. Test with Real Content

Finally:

• Drop real text and icons into the component
• Use it in a sample layout (form, navbar, card grid)
• Ask a peer to test it blindly—can they figure it out?

🔍 If they can’t use it without instructions, it needs tweaks.

Conclusion: Checklists Prevent Rebuilds

Reusable components are the secret sauce of design systems—but they require thought, testing, and discipline. This checklist will save your team hours of rework and ensure your library stays clean and dependable.

Next up: “The Anatomy of a Button in Figma: From Token to Interaction” — a deep dive into designing buttons that do it all.