In the constantly evolving world of web and mobile application development, Figma stands as a beacon of innovation, revolutionizing product design with its collaborative features and intuitive interface. Now, Figma is significantly expanding into the realm of developers as well.

In 2023, Figma introduced Dev Mode, aimed at providing developers with an enhanced workspace. This feature narrows the gap between product designers and developers, facilitating a collaborative workflow that enables seamless coordination and alignment between both parties, enhancing efficiency and productivity.

Moreover, Dev Mode amplifies Figma's capabilities with plugin support, enabling teams to tailor their workflow to specific needs. A prime example of this innovation is the introduction of LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode, which bridges the gap between animation design and code, streamlining the design-to-development process

Integrating Lottie animations with Figma

There's no doubt that motion plays a crucial role in product design today. From enhancing user engagement to conveying brand personality, motion has become indispensable in creating compelling digital experiences. The LottieFiles for Figma plugin simplifies adding animation or motion design elements to Figma projects by:

How can we handoff these animations to developers?

Suppose your product designers have created this amazing mobile design brimming with animation elements above. How do we seamlessly hand it off to developers?

Previously…

Designers might have included the URL as a layer name or provided side notes with the URL and instructions—or a combination of both. This approach required developers to navigate to the LottieFiles website to find the animation, leading to a cumbersome process, especially when juggling multiple tabs.

But Now…

Thanks to Figma’s Dev Mode capabilities, we've devised a method for developers to access the necessary Lottie animation codes directly within Figma, This ensures that no crucial details are lost during the handoff process.

LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode

As highlighted earlier, LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode is designed to foster smooth collaboration between designers and developers. It streamlines the process of transforming complex designs into interactive, web-ready animations, thereby enhancing workflow efficiency.

Here are a few steps to get started with leveraging LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode and enhancing your design-to-development workflow:

Step 1: Run the LottieFiles for Figma and LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode plugins on Figma.

Stpe 2: Insert animations onto your Figma canvas from the LottieFiles workspace as a GIF or SVG.

Step 3: Activate Dev Mode in Figma and open the LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode plugin.

Step 4: Click on the inserted Lottie animation to copy asset URLs, embed codes, and integrate them into your code and you're done.

Any animations inserted from your LottieFiles workspace are automatically prepared for Dev Mode. , eliminating the need for multiple steps. Simply insert the Lottie animation, send it off, and developers can take over from there easily, streamlining the workflow.

What LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode includes

Get codes faster

Access and copy your Lottie animation asset URLs directly from your LottieFiles workspace within Figma.

Dev Mode Embedding

Automatically generate embed codes for web deployment in HTML Embed, oEmbed, and iFrame formats.

Format Flexibility

Choose between optimized dotLottie, Lottie JSON, or optimized Lottie JSON formats for your animations.

Player Control

LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode also integrates the code generation capabilities from Lottie web player. This means you can generate code with custom Lottie player settings, including loop, autoplay, play on hover, player controls, and more, with just a few clicks.

Inspect Figma designs in VS Code

Expanding the possibilities even further, Figma has introduced their VS Code extension. This extension extends the functionality of Dev Mode's inspection features and provides access to design files directly within your code editor. This means you can review designs, see notifications and comments, and stay on top of changes without ever having to leave your coding environment.

This upgrade also includes plugins, meaning you can access the LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode plugin right within Figma, making developers' lives easier than ever.

Expanding the possibilities further, Figma introduced their VS Code extension, enhancing Dev Mode’s inspection features and providing direct access to design files within your code editor.

This upgrade means you can review designs, receive notifications and comments, and stay updated without leaving your coding environment. Moreover, it includes plugin support for LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode, which significantly enhances developers' workflows.

Closing the loop from design to code

As we continue to refine and enhance LottieFiles for Figma Dev Mode, our goal is to simplify the transition from design to development. We envision the handoff not as a single moment, but as an ongoing collaboration between designers and developers—because true collaboration means building together.

Until then, happy designing and developing.