Why a Figma mockup comes before development
Figma is a browser-based design editor. The designer draws the pages of your site, and everyone else on the project opens them through a link. There is nothing to install, no files to forward on Telegram and no guessing which version is the latest. You can leave a comment directly on the block that bothers you.
Changing a mockup costs far less than changing a built page. Moving the pricing block, rewriting the first screen or reshaping a request form takes hours in Figma. On a finished site the same change touches layout, logic and testing. That is why design approval is the best moment to disagree and change your mind.
What a good Figma mockup includes
A nice picture of the home page is not web design yet. Sites are opened on screens of different widths, and visitors who arrive from Instagram or Telegram mostly use a phone. Before you approve anything, check that the file contains:
One point specific to our market: if the site will run in Russian and Uzbek, Uzbek text is usually longer. A button that fits neatly on one line in Russian can break the layout in Uzbek. A careful designer tests both versions up front.
- mobile and desktop versions of every key page, not only the home page;
- a set of styles: colours, fonts, spacing, buttons and form fields kept in one place;
- element states such as hover, form error, empty cart and loading;
- real copy and real photos instead of placeholder text and random images;
- fonts that render Cyrillic and Uzbek Latin correctly, including o‘ and g‘;
- a clickable prototype that lets you walk through the customer journey from landing to request.
The process from brief to developer handoff
The work starts with questions, not with Figma. Who is your buyer? What should a visitor do: call, leave a request, pay with Click or Payme, message you on Telegram? The answer shapes the page structure. After that come plain screen layouts without styling, then the visual style, and only then the pages are polished into their final form.
Each stage needs feedback with specific comments in the file. “Make it more modern” gives the designer nothing. “I can’t tell where to tap” or “the price is hidden below the fold” is far more useful.
Before handoff the file is cleaned up: clear layer names, consistent styles, prepared graphics. If the designer and the developer sit in different teams and never talk, every small ambiguity turns into a question and a rework.
What shapes the price of a design
Quoting figures without seeing your brief would be misleading, but the factors are clear. The price depends on the number of unique pages and screens, complexity (animation, a catalogue with filters, a personal account), whether you already have a brand style or need one built from scratch, the number of language versions, the volume of revisions and the experience of the person doing the work.
A freelancer, a small studio and an agency differ not only in rate but also in who is responsible if the designer falls ill or disappears. Ask for an estimate split by stages, with a description of what each stage covers and how many revision rounds are included.
Common mistakes clients make
Most problems come not from the designer but from how the task was set. These are the ones we see most often:
Put the last point into the contract. Access to the Figma file and the rights to the mockup should pass to you, otherwise every later change means going back to the original designer.
- ordering a design without a clear goal for the site and without ready copy;
- approving only the desktop version and remembering the phone just before launch;
- accepting a mockup by eye without walking the whole customer journey;
- changing the concept after development has started;
- failing to agree who owns the source files and the file access.
How to approve a mockup and what comes next
Walk through the scenario as a customer would: on a phone, find a service or product, understand the price, submit a request. Show the mockup to two or three people from your audience rather than your team, and watch where they hesitate. Only then pass the file to development.
Design is a part of the site, and the site is a part of your sales funnel. To know whether the new look works, set up analytics before launch: events on buttons, form submissions, clicks to Telegram. That way later improvements rest on data rather than taste.
markdev builds websites on a turnkey basis: the Figma mockup, development, analytics, payment service integration and launch. If you would like to discuss your project, leave a request and we will work out what your site actually needs.
FAQ
Does a business owner need to know Figma?
No. It is enough to open a link and leave comments on blocks. The designer does the rest, and you judge clarity and whether the page serves its goal.
How is a Figma mockup different from a finished website?
A mockup is an image and prototype of future pages. It has no working logic: forms, payments, catalogue and admin panel appear during development.
Can I order only the design without development?
Yes, but make sure the file is prepared for handoff to a developer and that the rights to the mockup pass to you. Otherwise part of the work may have to be redone.
How many pages should the mockup cover?
Key templates are enough: home page, service or product card, catalogue, contacts and the request flow. The remaining pages are assembled from the same elements.
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