Problem:
In the file browser, the only context I have around the contents of the file is the file name. If a file contains multiple pages with multiple types of things, or a lot of different but related things, the filename is probably going to have to be generic in order to even describe the contents of the file. It would be useful to have a description field for individual files in the browser, to more accurately describe the contents of a file.
Example:
I have a file called “Data Table Improvements Sketching” wherein I have a page for row height exploration, a page for improved filtering pattern exploration, a page for improved pagination patterns, and so on…for many pages. Let’s say I’m also building a library as I work through things, so I can easily swap cell types, cell states, row heights, and so on. I don’t want to put all of these exploration pages into their own files, as I want to keep all of the work in the same place. And I found it useful to build the library in the same file as a local library, since it’s more of an efficiency tool for me as I sketch things and will never be a published production library shared with other designers. Having a description for this file where I can list the page contents, that anybody can see before they have to open the file, would be very useful. This becomes even more useful if I need to have multiple similar files for Figma performance reasons; relying on a file name like “Data Table Improvements Sketching 02” isn’t very useful if somebody is trying to figure out which of the two files contains the sketching for something specific.
In this example, once a file is highlighted, the Description field in the file browser would change from the Project name to the File name and a description could be entered that is specific to the file.
Would any other Figma users on large design teams find utility in this? Perhaps for browsing Projects with many files, or if you have a lot of designers making files and don’t really know what is in most of the files, or for your own work where you don’t remember exactly which file you put that one concept in…but you know you worked on it. It seems to me that for anybody who sometimes finds it more useful to design with multiple related sketches/pages inside of a generic “bucket” file might find this useful!
I know there are some organizational things that might help – like perhaps improving the naming conventions, or just breaking things out into their own files – but I think this is an improvement that would help flexibility in how we structure projects and be of real use. Looking forward to hearing anyone else’s thoughts!
**Bonus idea/fallback plan: When a file is selected, generate a list of the names of the pages contained in the file instead of the description, or in addition to the description?