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  • Unclear Version Control: Concept updates, revisions, and approvals become disorganized, increasing the risk of outdated designs.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.