Figma Make for AI-powered prototypes — DesignCourse talk

What the video covers

Gary Simon from DesignCourse builds a functional AI-powered prototype entirely within Figma, moving from designing the UI in Figma Design to creating a working application in Figma Make. The prototype uses the phone camera to photograph a nutritional label, sends the image to Gemini 2.5 Flash for analysis, and displays extracted macronutrient data. The tutorial covers the full workflow from first screen to functional prototype.

Who it’s for

Designers and design students who want to see a practical, start-to-finish example of what Figma Make can produce. The tutorial is accessible to beginners — Simon explains each step — but the output demonstrates a level of functionality that will interest experienced designers evaluating Figma Make for client prototypes.

Key takeaways

1. Figma Make extends design prototypes into functional applications. The prototype is not a clickable mockup — it actually accesses the camera, processes images, and returns AI-generated analysis. This blurs the line between prototype and minimum viable product for validation purposes.

2. Prompt specificity determines output quality. Simon emphasizes that detailed, specific prompts produce dramatically better results than vague descriptions. His prompt specifies the AI model to use (Gemini 2.5 Flash), the exact data to extract (macronutrients), and the technical requirements (web app, camera access).

3. The design-to-code workflow stays within one ecosystem. The entire process — designing screens, writing prompts, generating the application, testing functionality — happens inside Figma. No external code editors, no deployment tools, no switching between applications.

4. Iteration is fast enough for real-time refinement. After the initial generation, Simon makes adjustments by modifying prompts and regenerating specific sections. The speed of iteration makes it practical to experiment with different approaches during a single work session.

Worth watching if…

You want to see what Figma Make can actually produce end-to-end, beyond the typical “generate a landing page” demo, with a prototype that includes AI functionality, camera integration, and data processing.