Design and Develop: Mastering Figma and WordPress for Creative Web Solutions

Course Objectives

• Gain proficiency in both Figma and WordPress by exploring their interfaces, tools, and key features.
• Learn to export assets from Figma and integrate them into WordPress themes.
• Understand responsive design principles to ensure cross-device compatibility.
• Acquire skills in customizing WordPress themes using plugins, widgets, and menus.
• Enhance site functionality and user experience through advanced features like page builders.
• Develop the ability to debug common WordPress issues and perform usability testing to ensure optimized and user-friendly websites.
• Collaborate on creating and presenting websites, applying best practices in both design and development.
• Cultivate the ability to present and justify design and development choices effectively.

Schedule

DAY 1

• Overview of Figma and WordPress: Purpose and use cases.
• Figma interface: Tools, layers, and assets.
• WordPress basics: Dashboard, themes, and plugins.
• Hands-on exploration of the Figma workspace.
• Setting up a local WordPress environment.
• Skills Developed:
  • Basic navigation in both tools.
  • Familiarity with key terminologies and workflows.

DAY 2

• Typography, color theory, and layout principles.
• Creating wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes.
• Designing a simple website layout in Figma.
• Applying basic design principles.
• Skills Developed:
  • Wireframing and prototype creation.
  • Design consistency and aesthetics.

DAY 3

• Component creation and reuse.
• Collaboration and sharing in Figma.
• Interactive prototypes with animations.
• Creating reusable components (e.g., buttons, nav bars).
• Adding interactions and testing prototypes.
• Skills Developed:
  • Streamlined design workflows.
  • Collaborative design processes.

DAY 4

• Theme selection and customization.
• Creating pages and posts.
• Managing media and content.
• Installing and customizing a WordPress theme.
• Adding images, videos, and text to a site.
• Skills Developed:
  • Basic website structure setup.
  • Content management proficiency.

DAY 5

• Plugins: Installing and configuring essential plugins.
• Widgets and menus: Enhancing site navigation.
• Basics of SEO and performance optimization.
• Setting up a contact form using plugins.
• Creating and organizing menus.
• Skills Developed:
  • Enhanced functionality integration.
  • Improved user experience (UX) on websites.

DAY 6

• Exporting assets from Figma for WordPress.
• Integrating Figma designs into WordPress themes.
• Responsive design principles.
• Exporting images and SVGs from Figma.
• Testing responsive layouts in WordPress.
• Skills Developed:
  • Design-to-development workflow.
  • Ensuring cross-device compatibility.

DAY 7

• Introduction to Elementor/Divi (or other page builders).
• Drag-and-drop editing and custom templates.
• Working with advanced features (e.g., sliders, galleries).
• Building a custom homepage using a page builder.
• Adding advanced interactive elements.
• Skills Developed:
  • Enhanced design capabilities within WordPress.
  • Visual customization expertise.

DAY 8

• Debugging common issues in WordPress.
• Usability testing for designs and websites.
• Performance optimization: Caching and image compression.
• Running tests on different devices and browsers.
• Installing and configuring performance plugins.
• Skills Developed:
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking.
  • Delivering optimized and user-friendly websites.

DAY 9

• Structuring a complete project from start to finish.
• Best practices in design and development.
• Presentation techniques.
• Students work in pairs/small groups to design and build a small website using Figma and WordPress.
• Presenting their projects to the class for feedback.
• Skills Developed:
  • End-to-end project management.
  • Communication and presentation skills.

DAY 10

• Certification and cultural activities.

*Please note that program content may be subject to change based on input from our trainers.