Figma Make prompting best practices

Before writing a prompt, identify what you're starting from:

• 0 → 1 (Idea only) → Be concise and structured.

• n → 2 (Existing Figma frame) → Add detail only if necessary. Apply frame prep best practices.

For New Builds: (Task–Context–Elements–Behavior–Constraints)

Keep each field short, ideally one line:

Task: What the screen/prototype should do

Context: Where it fits in the product

Elements: Literal UI components

Behavior: Key interactions only

Constraints: Device, layout, visual rules

Best Practices:

• One screen per prompt

• Avoid fluff or redundant explanation

• Use imperative verbs (Build, Wire, Add, Modify)

• Don’t overspecify what Make can infer

• Front-load important behaviors

Structure Revisions Properly:

• One discrete change per revision (unless batching intentionally)

• Always include a “Maintain” section

• Always end with: "Don’t change anything else about the design/build"

• Use concrete selectors (by name, label, position, component ID)

Target: [specific selector or location]

Change: Add/Modify/Remove/Move/Style: [clear directive]

Maintain: [essential unchanged behavior] [essential unchanged constraints]

Use Guidelines.md for Persistent Rules

Instead of repeating styling instructions in every prompt, define them once. Guidelines should:

• Define color pairing rules

• Define typography families

• Define spacing system

• Define button/input/card behavior

More context isn’t always better. Only include the most important rules.

Follow Design System Discipline

If using a system:

• Always pair foreground/background tokens correctly

• Test light & dark mode

• Don’t mix incompatible tokens

• Let base styles handle sizes unless explicitly overridden

• Spacing: use consistent base units

• Maintain consistent card padding and border radius

• Limit one primary button per screen

• Inputs must have visible labels

• Cards must support hover/tap feedback

• Keep interaction animations short (150–250ms)

Break Large Flows into Multiple Prompts

Avoid giant prompts. Instead of: “Build the entire onboarding flow with dashboard and billing.” Do:

• Prompt 1: Onboarding Step 1

• Prompt 2: Onboarding Step 2

• Prompt 3: Dashboard

Iterate screen-by-screen.

Use Strong Imperative Language

Prefer:

• Build

• Add

• Modify

• Replace

• Remove

• Connect

• Style

Avoid vague phrasing like: “Maybe include…” “It would be nice if…”