# Figma Advanced Canonical URL: ## Overview Ready to take your Figma skills to the next level? This class is designed for those who have a solid grasp of Figma’s basics and want to advance their prototyping skills. In this class, you’ll learn how to use sections, variables, variable modes, and conditionals to add advanced, realistic functionality to your prototypes. You’ll also learn how variables are used to create design systems, including light and dark modes. You’ll explore how to use variable collections to create primitive and semantic layers that help create design systems that are easier to use and modify. ## What you'll learn - Explore Figma’s advanced prototyping features - Learn how to use variables and variable modes - Use conditionals to add advanced interactivity to prototypes - Create light and dark modes using variable collections - Use primitive and semantic layers when building a design system ## Prerequisites Students should have Figma knowledge equivalent to our [Figma Bootcamp](https://www.nobledesktop.com/classes/figma-bootcamp). ## Curriculum ### Section 1 #### Sections in Prototyping - Using Sections to Organize & Navigate a File - Using Sections in Prototyping #### Intro to Variables: Number Variables & Scoping - Creating, Using, & Editing Number Variables - Variable Scoping #### Intro to Modes & String Variables (Text Variables) - Creating & Applying String Variables - Creating & Switching Modes #### Prototyping a Tab Bar: Changing Variants with Variables - Creating Variants - Creating a Variable for the Variants - Making it Interactive ### Section 2 #### Shopping Cart Part 1: Prototyping with Variables - Defining Products with Variables & Modes - Connecting Content to the Variables - Hiding Objects with Boolean Variables - Adding Items to the Cart #### Shopping Cart Part 2: Prototyping with Conditionals - Defining Cart Variables - Making the Cart Quantities Work - Using a Conditional to Avoid Negative Numbers #### Shopping Cart Part 3: Navigating Modes in a Variable - Calculating the Cart Total - Accessing Modes in a Variable #### Design Systems: Light & Dark Mode (Variable Collections) - Light & Dark Modes - Variable Collections - Using Primitive & Semantic Layers to Build a Design System ## Schedule - Jul 29, 2026 – Aug 3, 2026 — NYC - Aug 5, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — NYC - Oct 7, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — NYC - Nov 4, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — NYC ## Instructors ### Michael Suen — Instructor Michael is an independent designer and creative director. For over a decade, he has run the design studio Weirdo, helping early-stage startups and enterprise companies alike clarify their unique value proposition and meaningfully engage their customers. Drawing on his experience as a certified Design Sprint facilitator and former startup co-founder, Michael has worked side-by-side with leaders at LinkedIn, Bose, KonMari, Lovevery, IntelyCare, Hazel Health, and more to launch new brands, products, and services. His projects have been featured in the likes of _TechCrunch_, _The_ _Wall Street Journal_, and _NPR_, and won awards at South by Southwest and Games for Change. Prior to his position at Noble Desktop, Michael served as an adjunct professor at the City University of New York, where he co-created the user experience curriculum for their workforce training program. He has also taught user experience design at General Assembly and lectured on playful design at MIT and Haverford College. In his former lives, Michael covered arts and culture as a journalist, shipped award-winning educational games as a digital producer, and participated in two successful startup exits as a founding designer (SwitchUp acquired by Optimal in 2018, VocaliD acquired by Veritone in 2022). Raised in Hong Kong and educated in Vermont, he now lives in Queens, NY. ### Christophe Drayton — Instructor Christophe is the instructor for the UX & UI Design Certificate, Figma Advanced, and Generative AI courses at Noble Desktop, and the founder and Chief Design Officer of Kaaiind, which specializes in Applied Artificial Intelligence in the Creative field. With over 20 years in Branding, UX Design, and Accessibility across Europe and the US, Christophe has positively impacted the digital experience of a large spectrum of companies, ranging from big data to startups, government entities to nonprofits, both in the private and public sectors. As an Educator, Christophe has led transformative and award-winning UX programs at Thinkful, the City University of New York (CUNY), and the Brooklyn Public Library, which have opened doors for underrepresented groups in tech who have secured roles at top companies like Google, Uber, Citi, and IBM. Most recently, he has developed innovative curricula about AI in the workplace for the University of Phoenix, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera. Today, he focuses on developing Allie, one of the first AI-powered, patent-pending color-blind safe and WCAG-compliant design system generator, while concluding his 5-year fundamental research on color vision deficiencies in digital environments. Christophe believes in hands-on, practical application of human-centered strategy and ethical and inclusive design. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge to inspire and empower the next generation of designers, especially those entering the field through nontraditional paths. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $425