Designilo

Creating clean, scalable components in Figma isn’t just about visuals—it’s about behavior. Whether it’s toggling a switch, expanding a menu, or highlighting a selected tab, components often need to represent multiple states. Figma’s variables and boolean logic make this not only possible—but refreshingly easy.

In this article, we’ll walk through how to build multistate components using variables, boolean toggles, and variants—with examples you can apply to real-world design systems.

🔄 What Are Multistate Components?

A multistate component is a design element that can appear in different configurations or states, such as:

• ✅ On / Off
• 🟡 Hover / Pressed / Disabled
• 📂 Expanded / Collapsed
• 🔘 Selected / Unselected

Managing all of these states manually becomes a nightmare. That’s where Figma variables + boolean logic step in.

🧠 Why Use Variables and Boolean Logic?

Using variables to control component states gives you:

• Cleaner file structures: Avoid endless variant combinations
• Dynamic previews: Change states instantly with variables
• Improved collaboration: Developers understand the logic behind the states
• Token alignment: Sync behavior with your design system

🧰 Key Concepts to Know

1. Boolean Variables

These store true/false values. In Figma, you can create booleans like isSelected, isHovered, or menuOpen.

2. Variant Properties

Variants are different visual states. Combine with boolean variables to switch between them.

3. Variable Mode Previews

Use variable modes to preview how a component looks under different settings (great for QA or dev handoff).

🔨 Building Your First Boolean-Controlled Component

Let’s say we’re designing a toggle switch with two states: On and Off.

Step 1: Create Your Base Variants

• Duplicate your toggle shape.
• Style one as “On” and the other as “Off.”
• Create a component with two variants:
  • state=on
  • state=off

Step 2: Add a Boolean Variable

• Go to the Variables panel.
• Create a variable: toggleOn (type: boolean)

Step 3: Bind the Variable to the Component

• Use “Set to Variable” in the property settings.
• Link the toggleOn variable to your state property.

Now you can control the toggle with a true/false switch.

🧩 Complex Example: Tabs Component

Want to highlight the active tab based on a variable? Here’s how:

1. Create a Tabs component with 3 variants:
   • selectedTab=tab1
   • selectedTab=tab2
   • selectedTab=tab3
2. Add a Text variable or string token called selectedTab.
3. Bind that variable to the component. Now, updating the variable updates the active tab.

🧪 Prototyping With Variables

You can use interactions and conditional logic in Figma’s Prototyping tab to:

• Toggle a boolean on click
• Switch tabs
• Trigger menu dropdowns

Example:
Clicking a menu icon sets menuOpen = true, revealing the dropdown.

No need for multiple frames. You’re building logic-driven UI, just like in code.

🎯 Benefits for Developers

This structure mirrors real frontend logic:

• Boolean variables = if/else
• Variant props = component props
• Variable previews = UI test states

This makes dev handoff more intuitive and implementation more predictable.

📋 Best Practices

• ✅ Name your variables clearly: isDisabled, menuExpanded
• ✅ Keep variable scopes organized (e.g., global vs local)
• ✅ Use combined booleans sparingly—prefer variant groups when it gets complex
• ✅ Document how variables affect states for devs

🔄 Real-World Examples to Try

Component	Variables Used
Button (Hover + Disabled)	isHovered, isDisabled
Accordion Menu	isExpanded
Toggle Switch	isOn
Modal Dialog	isOpen, hasOverlay
Tab Group	activeTab (string)

🧭 Wrapping Up

Multistate components don’t have to mean a bloated mess of variants. By introducing boolean logic and variables, you give your Figma files:

• More flexibility
• Better dev alignment
• Less redundancy
• And cleaner logic-driven design

You’re not just designing visuals—you’re designing systems that think.

➡️ Next up: “Token-First Design: Why Your Next Component Should Start with a Variable”