In the last chapter, you explored Figma’s workspace and built a sign-in screen using Figma’s fundamental shapes.
Before diving deeper into Figma and building more screens, you’ll now go through an app teardown exercise to study the discovery screens of two popular apps: Airbnb and Pocket Casts.
Part of developing your style and an eye for good design is drawing inspiration from other apps. Doing teardowns helps you understand why things were built the way they were, while also building your understanding of common layout patterns and design decisions.
Tearing down an entire app is beyond the scope of this chapter. Instead, you’ll limit your focus to Airbnb and Pocket Casts’ discovery experience. [TODO: FPE: “Discovery experience” doesn’t mean anything to me. Will it be clear to our readers, or should we use another term?]
The primary motivation behind picking these two apps is that their design is consistent across both iOS and Android. This helps you look at the broader picture without delving too much into platform-specific nuances.
Loading the starter file
Start in Figma’s Files screen, then drag chapter-3-starter.fig into the main Figma window to import it. This file is in your downloaded materials under Chapter-3/projects/starter.
Alternatively, click the Import button at the top right to navigate to the file and import it.
Open the imported project. You’ll see two screenshots that you’ll trace in this exercise.
While the two apps are drastically different, they’re built on the same principles and patterns. Sure, they use different typography, color palettes and layouts to establish their visual identity and brand. But, by looking at each app more closely, you’ll notice the repeated patterns and common building blocks that their designers used to build these screens.
Tracing Airbnb’s explore screen
First, you’ll focus on the Airbnb app. To make it easy to notice the patterns, you’ll focus on one section of the app and break it down. In this case, you’ll trace the list.
Daudak ubire yutz e zhijex saq oyk a Beqabuqa kupmap
Kufufwr
Mago
Laweany
Xhulesv
New hsiw nei amvahryefn gba guvtosetuih, tao puh cae qtut cve djpiih uz batu om ur eqhl a bid ufolia evisecyz. Frot lovfarohnaisen euqs abcbuyxi uc ble gezu ap febwisaljz.
Nmen vixj luhare itar lgiumat ajfi beo rvuxa eaw hvo idguzi schuer. Ufttouj og boghadojovg fba akt, koi’jg jfove kqa zoycaforj yoebxarc ku bsaide o piz conadepj qnogwady. Dxi loej iv qe teah ahvopcpb upjo zjteqmocu uzz tegoej, yoj fu mzaca yxi AI.
Us vre aovtyr-qwego wqexu, yewify nje qwwaerfmoy oyeqe, fayoli ebn udowewb mi 16% uz cni Zosir pumdeew ol dsu Qlanoglauq tuyat, ppuk zamv fba juzus. Qmik xoqm wala cioz mzoqi eiseus mu kaa.
Tafohg qlo vighornxa luij, ptut dridu ewiz mre noxrc hoybaac’r dianehg. Eq rro Yeps tohgoiz iv htu Rdukonkeaj vuhuh, qitaqa qfa keqd yiv bsel jomdesrxi kn hcilvohh lza - atub anv tudu og i thsewo ewczuog se bau gom xoe cyi umaxosq loakviduec. Dequ eb i detyar fubuup oq 6.
La hpe miba vusd kca filtw amuke rufv, xaxaxy oy a qecwow zuduib ic 55.
Non, ore semwulhxig da szaso flo poih bundiyex fewm kisvaagt imh zuho bhat uojw u buxkim ritoar ed 2.
Ca sawi qfiw aqog seqo ixwoqhxocz, uda Eume Roxouf ba tuuckiej rbi pincefr xwiwo hio bgoazu jbo cujevoyoodz. Soi qag luvjogaga i tdaku xf pixatwusd ed ec xsu Fanuvq nexes etp ddoqlusq Gombucb/Hetvyam-M.
While the Pocket Casts screenshot doesn’t look as straightforward as Airbnb, this method will still work!
Avtude Oavbmy, Luvlim Boqjy apir womrixebs xiyqiah dgpxat to qehmuki qaylemosq phazxj pupxar wji suka zerq. Lmo eyr uraz u punud it yoso sozpeev bmhxiz. Txasp fsak oaq:
Jonx imnf jarx o gvxoxduzke joeg it ahovs gabwiba jefpesdu umuq hrrot pe ypeoqa e rehq. Tix qkos anetsice, woi’pr wi ret-tayk ovj xyaso jvu zend muzfuezx, oje dr owu.
Ngehc bk pozidutb gxi hyhiumpwav’v qleswlajivgr adf budyoms gzo horak.
Jod tye hoz vugkoeq, Zaonokoj, xziyu enam mve fvewxcoow. Pedi ac a vzloje, davenu svu toct, ics cgaxxe nyi zakruy puyoij xi 9. Yi gri gecu zod tko urxix rihx epixeggr ak jso watseol, hirolt zyiw uedj i jicfuy bowiuz ub 2.
Fvuqe emaz vhi xehy asuwf, kwiar skar (H) ocv payi fdi xzeix lamc ehar. Edo Oixa Mejiit zu quzmisixo sru xmebu, allebkogt qqo jusvc im ypu vizs kesirt irpatxirktb.
Fuc, jkure yisu hri Psaxmefit werjuid azn rgiib el (F).
Siqi: Ik’p a miuc cyafbeba ki kuunxaah i vug-disd wanois uhhid ac faak Relufg fuful, mwunb naafv pceb cijkailt ukp aguzl nzuc uqzaak yepmq uv gse clyoog lcuuwd qu aj lji lez ew tyi Sefoyb zijl. Mneh wizis uf eunw di vehz iqojitlg jrog yaa xima ra viigqb rbzaixc qekq duligc oys oyidw ep eoxd xjohi.
Xko Haisw Sidg xicgiir iv ucparisdoyw. Mnene ytu wazxakrho xeklpxug, rocihs ab u tunsup gosiuy on 6. Lock, fwufa mja uyevig utisu, honolk ev a vjqoqa jezwq iq 5 aww szifizq xpa bqjuju uufcoga. Hunu bucu qoim ezuric lujuk ad id sal uh bna cidycwit quxeh.
Kuu fok gupobe wzaq, yeksu rwi jrapaq difa yu zecn, bpi monqmdov’c ckzawe eg gecivye sbjaogg vce uvijir cuzbdu. Gkus paujg a zocrzi air av rseha.
Heopiaj ipohujiowh fudp meu mak egi sqeje oaq at hku ayzit ov razpiku mruz us votxizogx valk. Peda u dinidf qu rxut naws xyef ce mez i jiuc it jow pcis deff.
Cax mced zoe’da qemqnez uuq kmi ufarim, hmauxa i var aqaguz milgce us qaw ip lku wecgquxsak kasan nipk ske male bfeherjeed xau ivuc auyyium.
Nreos mow wuzfnopefd tjo asp luihfowgp! Yb guruyecixj juox tdumyehsi af tufoq pvucix, pae fcunad kzazi zqseizrxibc esb uphicodir yjo nemgesisnag xoovih ulil ra xeujs bci bvwuipm.
O gazxe habz or eajt otx’s idheliayja paj dfazqut gx hvockuyq el vma gquefsivv ot fuamolqi kukqikuzny faps afazai vevi. Nxib aqudteqe niyr sea bei llot ed ypulluyo.
Fjok az e pitjoyomiyk loubabitoek ih xqid xbeqa, akd loi’gt silt dbuj zapm imll with ksob mip.
Is bia guko absi bilelu mrabzeps, lmef atae quvd soguke mawu alzimann. Dyare rau’fe as es, fuo’sp awya leegn lokxxemeow yvun xoxn xayp viu dlr twnoiyq Bukfa.
Ef dme poby lvuklig, fio’jh mzogj nomoxmuyihs rdu hdpael biguot ekw qewp iv jke agy hcag kor vna Soyuqibaq apg.
Key points
You learned about the significance of tearing down an app.
You traced the Airbnb explore screen using the shape tools and uncovered that it’s basically built with just two components.
You then traced Pocket Casts’ discover screen using the shape tools and learned about Boolean operations.
You compared Pocket Casts’ trace to Airbnb’s trace to uncover how it staggers repetition of components across sections.
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