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The Figma Starter Kit for Women in Design and Tech
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items Starting a career in design and tech can feel overwhelming. As a tech-creative whose been in the industry for 4+ years, I'd like to share my recommended collection of tools to keep you on top of your design-career process ⚡️
Sections
5
References 📚
Brainstorming 🧠
Visual Inspiration 👁️
Design Tools and Plugins 🖋️
Career 💼
References 📚
Suggested books, articles, courses, and visual references to strengthen your design eye and keep your creative practice growing.
This is one of the resources I’d recommend to anyone just getting started with Figma. It helped me understand the basics without feeling overwhelmed, especially when learning how to navigate files, create designs, and build simple prototypes.
Figma Design for Beginners (A Figma Article)
I find design systems much easier to understand when they’re explained practically. This collection is helpful for learning how reusable components, styles, and libraries can make design work more consistent and efficient.
Introduction to Design Systems (A Figma Article)
I’m was interested in using AI to make the design process faster without losing the human side of design. These guides are a useful starting point for exploring how AI can support brainstorming, content creation, and repetitive tasks in Figma.
Use AI in your Design Workflows (A Figma Article)
This book changed the way I look at everyday products and interfaces. It reminds me that when something feels confusing, the problem is often the design—not the person using it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to develop a stronger user-centered d...
The Design of Everyday Things (Book Recommendation)
I love this resource because it connects psychology with practical design decisions. It’s helped me think more carefully about why users behave a certain way and how small design choices can make an experience feel more natural.
Laws of UX: Using Psychology for Design (Book Recommendation)
This is a great resource for designers and researchers who want to explore how AI can support the research process. I especially like the idea of using AI to reduce repetitive work while still relying on real user feedback and human judgment for mean...
AI-Powered UX Research: Run Research Fast (Book Recommendation)
Brainstorming 🧠
Tools I use for turning scattered thoughts into clear ideas, from early concepts and user flows to moodboards and project directions.
My iPad is one of my favorite tools for brainstorming because it lets me collect references, sketch ideas, annotate designs, and organize thoughts in one place. It’s especially useful when I want to step away from my desk but still keep creating.
I'm personally using a 10th generation which does the job!!
I'm personally using a 10th generation which does the job!!
Apple iPad (10th Generation) for the digital girlies
The Apple Pencil makes the iPad feel much more natural for sketching and note-taking. I like using it to draw quick wireframes, highlight ideas, map out user flows, and capture thoughts before they disappear.
Can't forget your Apple Pencil (USB-C)
I always like having a dotted notebook nearby when I need to get ideas out of my head quickly. It’s flexible enough for mind maps, wireframes, notes, checklists, and messy first drafts—without making the brainstorming process feel too structured.
Analog is still the best. Dotted Notebook.
Visual Inspiration 👁️
My top picks for exploring color palettes, typography, layouts, wireframes, and visual systems before bringing your ideas to life in Figma.
I like using this when I’m exploring color ideas that need to work beyond the design file. It helps me build more practical palettes, think about design feasibility, and make the eventual developer handoff much smoother.
Tailwind CSS Colors Generator
Dribbble is one of my favorite places to browse when I need a creative spark. I use it to study interface details, typography, layouts, animations, and how other designers present their work.
Dribbble. OG Design Inspo.
I turn to Pinterest when I’m still in the early inspiration stage. It’s especially useful for building moodboards, collecting visual references, exploring color directions, and figuring out the overall feeling I want a project to have.
Pinterest. Millenials' inspo.
Figma Make is exciting for quickly turning an idea into something interactive. I like using it to explore concepts, test early flows, and see how a design might work before spending too much time perfecting every detail.
Figma Make: AI-Powered Design Tools
I’m interested in Claude Design as a brainstorming partner for turning rough ideas into visual concepts and prototypes. It’s helpful when I want to explore different directions quickly, refine a layout through conversation, or move from an early conc...
Turn Ideas into Design with Claude
Design Tools and Plugins 🖋️
Figma tools and plugins that make designing smoother, faster, and more organized—from creating components to preparing polished presentations.
I like using this plugin when I want my typography to feel intentional and consistent. It helps me organize type styles clearly, making it easier to review a design and explain the system to developers or teammates.
Typography Style Guide
This is helpful when working with larger Figma files and shared components. I use it to quickly locate where a component is being used, which makes updating designs and checking consistency much less tedious.
Instance Finder
Rename It is one of those small tools that makes a noticeable difference in my workflow. It helps me clean up layers, frames, and components quickly so my files stay organized and easier for other designers and developers to navigate.
Rename It
Career 💼
My tips for building your portfolio, improving case studies, preparing for interviews, and growing your career in design and tech.
I like this Notion template because it gives me a simple starting point for presenting my work without having to build a portfolio website from scratch. It includes space for projects, services, testimonials, blog posts, and contact details—useful fo...
Notion Portfolio Website Template
Case studies can feel intimidating, especially when I’m not sure how to organize the story behind a project. This Figma template helps create a clearer structure for showing the problem, process, decisions, and final outcome while keeping the present...
Figma Case Study Template | Light and Dark Minimalist Template
I like having a separate place to back up design files, portfolio work, photos, and important project documents. This Seagate portable drive is a practical option for keeping creative work organized and accessible without relying entirely on cloud st...
A reliable solid state drive (SSD)