Figma Chips Components: Design & Best Practices

Oct 23, 2025 by Jhon Lennon 48 views

Hey guys! Ever wondered how to create those neat little interactive elements in Figma that you see everywhere, like in search filters or tag selections? We're talking about chips components! They're super handy for improving user experience, and in this guide, we'll dive deep into creating awesome chips in Figma, exploring design principles, best practices, and even some cool tricks. So, buckle up and let's get started!

What are Chips Components?

First things first, let's clarify what exactly a chip component is. Chips (also known as badges or tags) are compact elements that represent a piece of information, action, or attribute. They're typically used to filter content, indicate categories, or display selected options. Think of them like the little tags you see on e-commerce sites that allow you to filter products by size, color, or brand. These seemingly simple elements are surprisingly versatile and contribute significantly to a clean and efficient user interface.

Chips come in various forms, including:

Input Chips: These allow users to enter information, like adding tags to a document. They usually have a delete icon for easy removal.
Choice Chips: These represent a single choice from a set of options. Only one choice chip can be selected at a time within a group.
Filter Chips: These filter content based on selected criteria. Multiple filter chips can be active simultaneously.
Action Chips: These trigger actions, such as applying a filter or confirming a selection. They often include an icon to indicate the action.

They’re great because they offer a concise and visually appealing way to present information and make interactions more intuitive. By incorporating Figma chips components thoughtfully into your designs, you’re essentially streamlining the user journey and making it easier for them to navigate and interact with your interface.

Why Use Chips in Figma?

Okay, so why should you bother creating chips components in Figma? Well, there are several compelling reasons. For starters, using chips improves the overall user experience by offering clear visual cues and interactive elements that simplify navigation. They allow users to quickly understand available options and make selections with ease. This is especially crucial in interfaces with lots of data or complex filtering requirements.

Secondly, chips enhance design consistency. By creating reusable chip components in Figma, you ensure that your chips have a uniform look and feel throughout your entire project. This consistency not only makes your design more professional but also saves you valuable time and effort in the long run. Imagine having to manually adjust the padding, font size, and color of every single chip in your design – that's a recipe for inefficiency! Using components, you can make changes once and have them automatically propagate across all instances of the chip.

Thirdly, chips are incredibly versatile. As mentioned earlier, they can be used in a wide range of scenarios, from filtering data to representing selections. Their adaptability makes them a valuable addition to any designer's toolkit. Whether you're designing a mobile app, a web dashboard, or an e-commerce platform, Figma chips components can help you create a more intuitive and user-friendly interface.

Finally, creating chips as components in Figma makes your design system more robust and maintainable. When you need to update the style or functionality of your chips, you can simply edit the master component, and all instances will automatically update. This saves you time, reduces the risk of errors, and ensures that your design stays consistent as your project evolves. Plus, components make it easier for other designers on your team to use and contribute to your design system.

Designing Effective Chips in Figma: Best Practices

Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty of designing effective chips in Figma. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

Keep it Concise: Chips should be short and to the point. Use clear and concise labels that accurately represent the information or action. Avoid long, complicated phrases that can clutter the interface.
Visual Hierarchy: Use visual cues, such as color, size, and icons, to create a clear visual hierarchy. Highlight selected chips to make it easy for users to see which options are active. Consider using different background colors or adding a border to indicate selection.
Consistent Styling: Maintain consistent styling across all chips in your design. Use the same font, padding, and color palette to create a cohesive look and feel. This consistency will help users quickly recognize and understand the purpose of the chips.
Appropriate Size: Choose an appropriate size for your chips based on the context of your design. Ensure that they are large enough to be easily readable and tappable, but not so large that they overwhelm the interface. Consider the target device and the size of the user's fingers when determining the optimal size.
Clear State Indicators: Provide clear visual feedback to indicate the state of the chip (e.g., selected, hovered, disabled). Use different colors, icons, or animations to communicate the state to the user. This will help users understand how to interact with the chips and what to expect when they do.
Accessibility: Ensure that your chips are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Provide sufficient color contrast between the text and background, and use appropriate ARIA attributes to convey the purpose of the chips to assistive technologies. Remember to test your designs with screen readers to ensure that they are fully accessible.
Consider Spacing: Pay attention to the spacing around your chips. Provide enough whitespace to prevent them from feeling cramped or cluttered. Use consistent spacing to create a visually appealing and easy-to-read layout.

By following these best practices, you can create Figma chips components that are both visually appealing and highly functional. Remember to always put the user first and design with their needs and expectations in mind.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating a Simple Chip Component in Figma

Alright, let's get practical! Here's a step-by-step guide to creating a simple chip component in Figma:

Step 1: Create a Text Layer:

Start by creating a text layer in Figma. This will be the label for your chip. Type in the text you want to display on the chip (e.g., "Option 1").
Choose a suitable font, size, and color for your text. Make sure it's readable and consistent with the rest of your design.

Step 2: Add an Auto Layout Frame:

Select the text layer and press Shift + A to add an Auto Layout frame around it. This will automatically adjust the size of the frame based on the content.
Adjust the padding of the Auto Layout frame to create some space around the text. A padding of 8px to 12px on each side is usually a good starting point.

Step 3: Style the Frame:

Give the Auto Layout frame a background color. Choose a color that complements your design and provides sufficient contrast with the text.
Add a corner radius to the frame to give it a rounded appearance. A corner radius of 4px to 8px is typically used for chips.
Add a subtle border if desired. A light gray border can help the chip stand out from the background.

Step 4: Create a Component:

Select the Auto Layout frame and click the "Create Component" button in the toolbar (or press Cmd + Opt + K on Mac or Ctrl + Alt + K on Windows). This will turn the frame into a reusable component.

Step 5: Add States (Optional):

Create different states for your chip, such as selected, hovered, and disabled. You can do this by creating variants of the component.
For the selected state, change the background color or add a checkmark icon to indicate that the chip is selected.
For the hovered state, change the background color slightly to provide visual feedback when the user hovers over the chip.
For the disabled state, reduce the opacity of the chip and change the text color to indicate that it is not interactable.

Step 6: Add an Icon (Optional):

If you want to add an icon to your chip, you can either create one yourself in Figma or use an icon from a library like Font Awesome or Material Icons.
Place the icon inside the Auto Layout frame, next to the text. Adjust the spacing between the icon and the text as needed.

Step 7: Test and Iterate:

Test your chip component in different contexts to ensure that it looks and functions as expected.
Get feedback from other designers or users and iterate on your design based on their input.

And there you have it! You've successfully created a simple chip component in Figma. Now you can reuse this component throughout your design and create variations to suit different needs.

Advanced Techniques: Making Your Chips Dynamic and Interactive

Want to take your Figma chips components to the next level? Here are some advanced techniques to make them dynamic and interactive:

Using Variables: Figma Variables are amazing for making dynamic changes to your chips. Imagine you want to quickly change the font size or color of all your chips. With variables, you can simply update the variable value, and all linked instances will update automatically. This is a game-changer for maintaining design consistency and making global changes.
Component Properties: Component properties allow you to control specific aspects of your chip from the instance level. For example, you can create a text property to change the label of the chip or a boolean property to show or hide the icon. This gives you a lot of flexibility and control over how your chips are used.
Interactive Components: You can use Figma's interactive components feature to create chips that respond to user interactions. For example, you can create a chip that changes its appearance when the user hovers over it or clicks on it. This adds a layer of interactivity to your design and makes it more engaging for the user.
Plugins: There are many Figma plugins available that can help you create and manage chips. For example, there are plugins that can automatically generate chips from a list of values or that can help you organize and style your chips. Explore the Figma plugin ecosystem to find tools that can streamline your workflow.

By mastering these advanced techniques, you can create Figma chips components that are not only visually appealing but also highly functional and interactive. Experiment with different approaches and find what works best for your design process.

Examples of Figma Chips Components in Action

To give you some inspiration, here are some examples of how Figma chips components can be used in real-world applications:

E-commerce: Filter products by category, price range, or brand using filter chips.
Task Management: Tag tasks with priority levels or assignees using input chips.
Social Media: Display hashtags or mentions using chips.
Search: Suggest search terms or filter search results using chips.
Data Visualization: Represent data points or categories using chips.

These are just a few examples, and the possibilities are endless. Think about how you can use chips to simplify complex interfaces and improve the user experience in your own designs.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! A comprehensive guide to creating awesome Figma chips components. We've covered everything from the basics of what chips are to advanced techniques for making them dynamic and interactive. By following the design principles and best practices outlined in this guide, you can create chips that are both visually appealing and highly functional.

Remember, the key to designing effective chips is to keep them concise, consistent, and accessible. Use visual cues to create a clear hierarchy and provide clear state indicators to help users understand how to interact with the chips. And don't be afraid to experiment with different styles and approaches to find what works best for your design.

Now go forth and create some amazing Figma chips components! Your users will thank you for it.