Figma content automation — Service Victoria

Platforms — Figma

Expertise — DesignOps

How can I help content designers reduce content multiplication and prevent content mistakes in different page variants?

The Problem: Content duplication and inconsistency

At Service Victoria, based on the nature of the government applications we support, content design often involves multiple screen variants—each of which needs to reflect a unique combination of content and design elements. However, this can lead to the following challenges:

  • Content multiplication: Content designers have to manually rewrite or copy-paste the same content across numerous screens and variants.

  • Content errors: With each manual update, the risk of missing updates, introducing inconsistencies, or even creating duplicate content becomes significant.

  • Inefficiency: Manual updates can quickly slow down workflows, especially when you’re working on complex projects with many variants.

The solution: What I call, the Figma content automation system

To solve this, I developed a system that automates content updates across variants while reducing the potential for errors. The core principle of this system revolves around the use of parent components in Figma:

  1. Parent Component: The main design structure, which houses all the content and design elements for a given screen. This component serves as the single source of truth for all content.

  2. Variant Components: Once the parent component is established, it’s duplicated into several variants. These variants retain the content but allow for specific design tweaks—removing unnecessary components or adjusting the layout for specific screen needs.

  3. Content Cascading: Content entered into the parent component will automatically cascade into the variants that rely on that content. Content designers only need to edit the parent, and the updates will be reflected wherever that content appears in the variants—no more repetitive manual updates.

How it works

  • Design the parent component: As a designer, I create the parent component that includes all design elements and content (e.g., headers, text blocks, buttons) for a screen. This component is the foundation, containing everything needed for any of the variants.

  • Create variants: I then componentise the parent and create variants by removing or adjusting elements that don’t apply to certain screen variants. Each variant will retain its reference to the parent, ensuring that the content stays linked.

  • Editing the parent: When a content designer edits the content on the parent component (e.g., updating a headline, adjusting a paragraph), the change automatically cascades into all variants that use that content.

  • Content updates without redundancy: Since all content is tied back to the parent component, there’s no need to manually update each variant, dramatically reducing the chance for errors, duplicate content, and missed updates.

Results

While specific metrics are still being tracked and difficult to prove (would need to create two of the same products A&B, then build them differently), early feedback from content designers suggests that the automation system has already made a significant impact:

  • Time savings: Content designers report saving up to 60% of the time they previously spent on manually updating content across variants. This means more time for creative tasks and problem-solving.

  • Error Reduction: By eliminating manual updates, we’ve seen a noticeable decrease in content inconsistencies and duplicate content, leading to higher-quality outputs and fewer revisions.

  • Increased Collaboration: Content designers and UX/UI designers now spend less time aligning on content updates and can focus more on enhancing the user experience.

Recognition: Service Victoria award for Innovation

This Figma content automation system was recognised, in which I was awarded the Service Victoria award for Innovation—a testament to the significant impact it’s had on streamlining workflows, reducing errors, and driving efficiency. This recognition further validates the value this system brings to the organisation and its potential for scaling across future projects.