How do I import an existing Figma design or UI kit into Figma Make and prompt it to become interactive?

Importing an existing Figma design or UI kit into Figma Make is a great way to jump‑start an interactive prototype without rebuilding your interface from scratch. The key steps are: prepare your file in Figma, connect it to Figma Make, then use prompts to turn static layouts into interactive flows.

1. Prepare your existing Figma design or UI kit

Before you bring anything into Figma Make, it’s worth doing a quick cleanup in the main Figma editor so the AI can understand your structure.

Organize your layers and frames

Make sure key screens are top-level frames (e.g., Home, Login, Dashboard, Settings).
Group related content logically (e.g., form fields, cards, nav bars).
Name layers and frames clearly:
- Buttons: Button / Primary, Button / Secondary
- Inputs: Input / Email, Input / Password
- Nav: Nav / Top, Nav / TabBar

This makes it easier for Figma Make (and any AI-assisted tooling) to map UI elements to actions and states.

Standardize components

If you’re importing a UI kit or design system:

Convert repeated elements into components:
- Buttons
- Inputs
- Modals
- Navigation bars
- Cards / list items
Use variants for different states:
- Button / Primary / Default
- Button / Primary / Hover
- Button / Primary / Disabled

Well-structured components help Figma Make infer interactions like hover, pressed, or disabled states when you prompt it.

Check for prototyping‑ready structure

While Figma Make will help with interactivity, a bit of structure goes a long way:

Separate screens into logical flows (e.g., Auth, Onboarding, Main App).
Label frames in a way that reflects the user journey:
- 01 – Welcome
- 02 – Sign Up
- 03 – Sign In
- 04 – Dashboard

2. Import your design into Figma Make

Once your file is ready in the main Figma editor, you can connect it to Figma Make.

Note: The exact wording of menus may change as Figma updates Figma Make. The steps below reflect typical workflows used in AI‑assisted prototyping tools integrated with Figma.

Option A: Open the existing file in Figma Make

In the Figma desktop or web app, open the file containing your design or UI kit.
From the right‑hand panel or the Figma Make integration area (if available):
- Look for an option like “Open in Make” or “Send to Figma Make”.
Choose the pages or frames you want to work with in Figma Make.
Confirm to sync or import.

Option B: Create a new Figma Make project from an existing file

Open Figma Make (or the dedicated workspace for Make if it’s separated from your main Figma workspace).
Click New project (or similar).
Choose From Figma file / Import from Figma.
Select the file and the specific page or frames you want to import.
Confirm and wait for the import to complete.

After import, you should see your original frames in Figma Make, ready to be wired with interactions using prompts.

3. Prompt Figma Make to add basic interactions

Once the UI is in Figma Make, you can use natural language prompting to turn static designs into interactive prototypes.

Start with a global interaction prompt

Use a broad, high‑level prompt to let Figma Make infer the basic flows from your design:

Make this design interactive. 
- Treat any element styled as a button as clickable.
- Link obvious navigation items to their corresponding screens (Home, Settings, Profile, etc.).
- Add transitions between screens that feel natural for a mobile app.

Figma Make will typically:

Detect button‑like elements.
Connect them to likely target screens (based on layer/frame names).
Apply default transitions (e.g., On tap → Navigate to [Frame]).

Prompt screen‑to‑screen navigation

You can get more explicit to ensure accuracy:

Connect interactions for the main flow:
- When the user taps “Get Started”, navigate from the Welcome screen to Sign Up.
- From Sign Up, tapping “Already have an account?” goes to Sign In.
- After tapping the “Sign In” button on the Sign In screen, navigate to Dashboard.

This gives Figma Make clear instructions on how to wire the primary user journey.

4. Make components interactive with prompts

Figma Make can use your components to define reusable interaction patterns.

Buttons and navigation

Use prompts like:

For all primary buttons:
- On tap, apply a subtle scale effect (0.98) and then trigger navigation if a target screen is referenced in the layer name.

For the bottom navigation bar:
- Tapping each tab icon switches to its corresponding screen (Home, Search, Notifications, Profile).
- Highlight the active tab with the primary color and bold label.

If your components are well‑named (e.g., Tab / Home, Tab / Search), Figma Make can map them to their respective screens.

Form fields and states

Turn static form layouts into interactive inputs:

Make all text input fields interactive:
- Tap to focus input.
- Show a cursor and allow typing.
- For password fields, hide characters and show a “Show/Hide” toggle.

Add validation flows via prompts:

On the Sign Up screen:
- If email or password is empty when the user taps “Create Account”, show an inline validation message below the field.
- If both are filled, transition to the Welcome / Onboarding screen.

5. Use prompts to simulate data and logic

Figma Make can go beyond simple screen transitions by simulating basic logic and data.

Simulate login behavior

Create a simple login logic:
- If the email contains “@” and password length is at least 6 characters, treat it as successful login and navigate to Dashboard.
- Otherwise, show an error banner at the top of the Sign In screen that says “Invalid credentials. Try again.”

Simulate lists and details

If your UI kit includes cards or list items:

Make the list on the Dashboard interactive:
- Each card should be tappable and open a detail screen.
- Use placeholder data (title, description, image) for each card.

Figma Make will typically duplicate the visual pattern and wire each card to a shared or templated detail screen.

6. Refine micro‑interactions and animations

After basic navigation is in place, use more targeted prompts to polish the experience.

Transitions and animations

Improve screen transitions:
- Use a slide-in from the right for forward navigation.
- Use a slide-out to the right for back navigation.
- Set transition duration to 250ms with ease-out easing.

For specific elements:

Add micro‑interaction:
- When hovering over primary buttons on desktop screens, change background color to a lighter shade and add a drop shadow.
- Duration: 150ms, ease-in-out.

Overlays, modals, and drawers

For all modal components:
- Open as a centered overlay with a fade-in and slight scale-up effect.
- Dismiss when the user taps outside the modal area or taps the close icon.

7. Test, iterate, and adjust prompts

Once Figma Make has generated interactions:

Click Present or Preview in Figma Make.
Run through your key flows:
- Onboarding
- Sign in / sign up
- Main navigation
- Critical actions (add, edit, delete, submit)

If something doesn’t behave as expected, refine with prompts like:

The “Get Started” button is currently going to the wrong screen.
Change it so that tapping “Get Started” on the Welcome screen navigates to the Onboarding Intro screen instead.

Or:

Remove hover states from mobile screens and keep them only on desktop layouts.

Figma Make will update the prototype without you needing to manually rewire every connection.

8. Best practices for importing UI kits specifically

When you’re starting from a UI kit (rather than a fully designed product flow), your goal is to turn a library of components into a working prototype.

Map UI kit components to flows

Identify key templates in the kit:
- Auth screens
- Home/dashboard layouts
- List and detail views
- Settings or profile screens
Create a small set of example flows using these templates:
- Auth → Home
- Home → Detail
- Home → Settings

Then prompt Figma Make:

Using the components and templates from this UI kit, create a simple app flow:
- Start at a Welcome screen.
- Go to Sign Up / Sign In.
- Then to a Home/Dashboard screen with a list.
- Tapping a list item opens a detail view.

Figma Make can assemble and wire these flows using the kit’s building blocks.

9. Troubleshooting common issues

Imported design appears but nothing is interactive

Use an explicit prompt:

Currently, this prototype is static. 
Add basic interactions so:
- All elements styled as buttons are tappable.
- Navigation elements move between corresponding screens.
- Forms allow input in text fields.

Buttons navigate to the wrong screen

Adjust with a corrective prompt:

Update navigation:
- “Sign Up” button on the Welcome screen should go to the Sign Up screen, not Sign In.
- “Log in” link on the Sign Up screen should go to the Sign In screen.

Too many or unwanted interactions

If Figma Make over‑guesses:

Simplify interactions:
- Remove any auto-generated interactions that are not part of the main flow.
- Keep only: Welcome → Auth → Dashboard → Detail.

10. Bringing it all together

To recap the workflow for how to import an existing Figma design or UI kit into Figma Make and prompt it to become interactive:

Prepare in Figma: Clean up layers, name frames clearly, and convert repeated elements into components.
Import to Figma Make: Open or create a Make project from your existing Figma file.
Prompt for core navigation: Use natural language to define key screen transitions and flows.
Enhance components: Add button states, form behavior, and navigation interactions via prompts.
Simulate logic: Use prompts for basic validation, data states, and list/detail behaviors.
Polish micro‑interactions: Define animations, overlays, and hover/tap feedback.
Iterate: Preview, refine prompts, and adjust until the prototype behaves as intended.

Using this approach, you can turn a static UI kit or existing Figma design into a rich, interactive prototype inside Figma Make with minimal manual wiring—letting you focus more on user experience and less on tedious setup.