Why a design tool matters
Most UI/UX and product design adverts, in Ghana and remote, name a design tool, and Figma is the one mentioned most often. Employers expect you to build screens, components and simple prototypes in a tool and share them with developers. The good news: you can learn the core skills for free in a web browser on a modest laptop.
Choosing a free tool
Two examples that run in the browser and have free plans:
- Figma has a free Starter plan with limits on some features, and it is widely used by employers.
- Penpot is open source and free, and also runs in the browser.
The ideas below work in both. Learn one well; the skills transfer. If you only have a phone, you can still view and test prototypes on it, but building screens is much easier on a laptop, even an older one. Some learners use a laptop at a community hub, library or school lab for a few hours a week.
To save data, close other tabs, avoid uploading large photos, and work on one file at a time.
The core building blocks
Frames. A frame is a container, usually the size of a phone screen or a laptop window. For phone designs, start with a common Android size such as 360 by 800, and for websites add a laptop sized frame as well. Everything you design sits inside frames.
Layers and groups. Each text, shape and image is a layer. Name your layers clearly ("Pay button", not "Rectangle 12"). It helps you and the developers.