Figma file template — Service Victoria
Platforms — Figma & Confluence
Expertise — DesignOps
How might we create a Figma workspace that is structured enough to improve collaboration but flexible enough to allow creativity and exploration?
The problem: Disorganised Figma files slowing collaboration and creating friction
As design projects scale, teams often struggle with messy, inconsistent, and unstructured Figma files. Without a standardized approach, this leads to:
Difficulty in Navigating Files: Developers, product managers, and external stakeholders often struggle to find what they need.
Collaboration Barriers: Content designers, UX designers, and product teams work in silos, leading to inefficiencies.
Unclear Version Control: Concept updates, revisions, and approvals become disorganized, increasing the risk of outdated designs.
1. Documentation & links – A central knowledge hub
Purpose: A single source of truth for documentation, design principles, and external references.
Design Guidelines & Principles: Standards to ensure consistency across screens.
Links to Research & Insights: Supporting data from user research or analytics.
JIRA & Confluence Links: Direct references to development tickets and documentation.
This ensures that everyone can easily access supporting information without needing to dig through multiple sources.
2. Viewing section – A clear overview for everyone
Purpose: A structured space for all stakeholders (Product, Design, Development, External Partners) to see the big picture.
Happy Paths & Unhappy Paths: Clear representations of ideal user flows and edge cases.
End-to-End View: A complete visual of every possible screen in the user journey.
This section ensures easy access for all teams, reducing the need for repeated walkthroughs.
3. Working section – Where designers work together
Purpose: The active workspace for UX, Product, and Content Designers.
Collaborative Design Area: UX and Product designers work alongside Content Designers to ensure alignment.
Content Automation System: Integrated workflows that allow content updates to cascade seamlessly across designs.
This section centralises collaboration, eliminating version control issues and redundant manual updates.
4. Discovery & early phase work – Ideation & exploration
Purpose: A dedicated space for lo-fi and hi-fi explorations before finalising designs.
LO-FI Wireframes: Rough sketches and early concepts.
HI-FI Designs: More refined screens before they move into the working section.
Process & User Flows: Clear visualizations of user journeys.
This section keeps early-phase work organised and separate from production-ready designs.
5. Tickets & uplift – Managing changes before publishing
Purpose: A controlled space for design updates before they go live.
Concept Updates & Changes: Updates made in this section before replacing the current state.
JIRA-Linked Tickets: Ensuring traceability between design updates and development tasks.
This structure ensures approval before implementation, reducing errors and misalignment.
6. Sandbox, research & components – A space for testing & reusable elements
Purpose: An experimentation zone and a repository for reusable components.
Sandbox: A free space for quick experiments and design iterations.
Research: Insights and findings that inform the design process.
Component Library: A centralized location for all reusable design components.
This section prevents clutter in the main working files while allowing for innovation.
7. Archive Space – Keeping old work without cluttering active files
Purpose: A structured archive for past designs that are no longer in active use but might still be referenced.
This ensures historical work remains accessible without interfering with current projects.
Key benefits
Improved accessibility: Each section is structured so that stakeholders can quickly find what they need.
Seamless collaboration: Product, UX, and Content Designers work together without stepping on each other’s work.
Better version control: Updates and changes are properly reviewed before they replace live designs.
Efficient handoff to developers: A clean, structured viewing section means devs can quickly access approved designs.
Faster onboarding: New team members can immediately understand file structures, reducing ramp-up time.