Figma Standardization
Design Playbook

A shared system for clean, consistent design files.

Adopted by 21 teams

Dell Game Changer Award

Status Indicators

Dev Note

Status Indicators

Flow Titles

Feature Overview

Change Log

File Structure

Feature Overview

Figma
Standardization
Guide

A shared system for clean, consistent files

My role

Product Designer

Scope

Design operations · Figma standardization · Cross-org adoption

Adopted by

21 teams · 106 weekly inserts

Recognition

Dell Game Changer Award

Overview

One way of organizing design file

At Dell, designers work across many teams. But every designer set up their Figma files differently — naming, structure, labels, all of it.
So no one could find anything. PMs got lost. Engineers needed a walkthrough at every handoff. Even designers couldn't read each other's files. My team and I built the Figma Playbook to fix that: one shared way to set up files, so designers spend less time organizing and more time designing.

What I noticed

Every file was different.

File setup changed from designer to designer. No standard for naming, status, owner, or stage. Engineers and PMs couldn't navigate files alone. New hires struggled — every file worked differently.

Why it kept happening

Everyone had their own system

No one was doing anything wrong. Each designer had a way that made sense to them.
But when everyone has their own way, the company has none. The missing piece wasn't effort. It was a shared system.

How I checked

Repeated noise and patterns

  • Teams kept asking where files were.

  • Engineers leaned on designers just to get oriented at handoff.

  • Designers redid work they couldn't find.

  • PMs had no shared way to track status.

What I built

Figma Design File Setup Guide — make files easier, not add more rules

Every part came from what designers already did well. I didn't invent habits. I found the best ones and made them reusable.

A clear guide for team members
A clear guide for team members

File setup, naming, and assets in one place. New designers get up to speed fast.

File setup, naming, and assets in one place. New designers get up to speed fast.

File Thumbnail

Standard thumbnails that is scannable at a glance from the Figma file browser — no need to open a file to understand what it contains.

Page Structure

One layout, so everyone finds things fast.

Flow titles (most used)
Flow titles (most used)

A standardized layout with clear titles and summaries at the top of every flow. This was the component teams found most useful — it's the first thing you see when navigating a file, and it immediately tells you what you're looking at and why it exists.

A standardized layout with clear titles and summaries at the top of every flow. This was the component teams found most useful — it's the first thing you see when navigating a file, and it immediately tells you what you're looking at and why it exists.

Feature overview
Feature overview

When multiple designers work on the same file, it's easy to lose track of what belongs to whom. Displaying Jira ID, feature name, and status at a glance clarifies scope and ownership

When multiple designers work on the same file, it's easy to lose track of what belongs to whom. Displaying Jira ID, feature name, and status at a glance clarifies scope and ownership

Status Section Bars

This is used to clearly mark the progress of each design section, helping teams focus on finalized work during reviews.

Change Logs
Change Logs

Embedded in design files, color-coded by contributor. Anyone can see what changed, when, and who made the change — without digging through version history.

Embedded in design files, color-coded by contributor. Anyone can see what changed, when, and who made the change — without digging through version history.

Sticky Notes
Sticky Notes

A structured alternative to scattered inline comments. Designers capture meeting notes and feedback in one organized place per file.

A structured alternative to scattered inline comments. Designers capture meeting notes and feedback in one organized place per file.

Dev notes (slide panel format)
Dev notes (slide panel format)

A slide panel style dev note placed next to wireframes for async communication with engineers and PMs. I first designed this format during the APEX project — it worked well there, so I brought it into the standard. It gives technical context exactly where it's needed without cluttering the design canvas.

A slide panel style dev note placed next to wireframes for async communication with engineers and PMs. I first designed this format during the APEX project — it worked well there, so I brought it into the standard. It gives technical context exactly where it's needed without cluttering the design canvas.

What happened

We presented the playbook across Dell ISG EDG. Dell Digital adopted it mostly as-is. My manager pushed it inside Primary Storage. From there it spread on its own — to teams I never worked with.
Now used by 21 teams, with 106 component uses every week.

  • Files are easy to navigate — for designers, PMs, and engineers.

  • New designers start faster. Every file works the same way.

  • No more handoff walkthroughs.

  • Designers get time back.

Recognition

Karen Farrell, Manager of the Content Writing team, awarded the team a Dell Game Changer Award. Her words:

"The Figma Playbook has significantly increased efficiency and improved consistency in design and experience across APEX. The effort invested by this team in creating this playbook has ensured Eng & Product teams know how to find the designs and content they need, while also understanding how to collaborate with UX teams effectively in Figma. In addition, teams can now guide themselves through a Figma file to understand the status of a project. The Figma Playbook not only provides general usage guidelines, it also provides templates and reusable elements that drive a more unified, consistent experience for our customers."