I Used AI to Turn Figma Designs into Full Stack Code - Here’s What Happened
Nikhil Wagh

Nikhil Wagh @nikhilwagh

About: 👨‍💻 .NET dev with 11+ yrs exp — from Web Forms to .NET 10. Skilled in C#, MVC, Core, SQL. Sharing lessons, real-world tips & clean architecture for writing future-proof, scalable apps.

Location:
Pune, India
Joined:
Jul 23, 2021

I Used AI to Turn Figma Designs into Full Stack Code - Here’s What Happened

Publish Date: Jul 28
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Introduction

As a full stack developer, I’ve spent countless hours translating beautiful Figma designs into working code. From crafting pixel-perfect frontends in React to wiring up APIs in .NET, this process is often repetitive, time-consuming, and — let’s face it — not always the best use of our skills.

So, I asked myself: Can AI really automate the process of turning Figma designs into usable full stack code? I decided to find out — and in this blog, I’ll walk you through exactly what happened when I integrated AI tools into my dev workflow.

The Problem We All Know

In a typical sprint, developers are handed a polished UI design and told to “just build it.” But UI implementation isn't just copy-paste — it involves:

  • Writing boilerplate code for components
  • Recreating layout, spacing, typography
  • Handling responsiveness
  • Hooking into APIs and managing state

This process can easily take 2–3 days per screen, especially if the design is complex.

Enter AI: My New Workflow Stack

To cut down time and improve efficiency, I decided to bring AI into the picture. Here’s the stack I used:

  • Figma for the design files (shared by the design team)
  • Locofy.ai and Vercel v0 to generate React code directly from Figma
  • ChatGPT (GPT-4) to assist with API integration logic, state management, and form validations
  • GitHub Copilot for auto-completing repetitive backend code
  • .NET 8 Web API as the backend layer

The Experiment: Dashboard Module

I chose to implement a real-world use case: a user management dashboard with the following features:

  • User listing
  • Filtering and search
  • Add/edit user modal
  • Role-based permissions
  • API integration for CRUD operations

What Worked Amazingly Well

Frontend Code Generation:
Locofy.ai and Vercel v0 converted the Figma layout into clean, reusable React components within minutes. Layouts, styles, and breakpoints were surprisingly accurate.

Component Reusability:
Generated code was structured, allowing me to quickly extract reusable UI components like buttons, modals, and input fields.

API Wiring with ChatGPT:
I gave GPT my API schema and asked it to help connect frontend components to backend services. It returned custom hooks, fetch logic, and validation snippets.

Faster Backend with Copilot:
While building the .NET API endpoints, Copilot auto-suggested complete controller methods, models, and even Swagger annotations based on my comments.

Where AI Struggled

State Management Gaps:
The AI-generated frontend code didn’t integrate any state management by default. I had to add Redux Toolkit manually.

No Business Logic:
While GPT was helpful with syntax, I still needed to inject domain-specific business rules — AI can't understand your business model (yet).

Visual Fine-tuning:
I spent time tweaking margin, padding, and media queries for consistency across devices — AI still misses those subtle design nuances.

The Result

Time Saved:
What used to take 5 days to implement took just 2.5 days. The generated code wasn’t perfect — but it was a great head start.

Reusable Assets:
I ended up building a mini component library that can be reused in other modules, speeding up future development.

Mental Bandwidth:
Less time spent on boilerplate = more focus on actual logic and architecture.

Case Study Recap

Task Without AI With AI
Layout Coding 2 days 3 hours
Component Setup 1 day 2 hours
API Integration 1 day 4 hours
UI Polishing & Testing 1 day 1 day
Total 5 days 2.5 days

Final Thoughts

AI won’t replace full stack developers — but it’s becoming a serious co-pilot. If you’re working on dashboards, admin panels, or MVPs, tools like Vercel v0, GPT-4, and Copilot can literally cut your delivery time in half.

This experience changed the way I think about front-end + back-end development. And honestly? I’m not going back.

Want to Try It?

Start with:
Vercel v0 – Convert Figma to Tailwind/React
Locofy.ai – Figma to working React/Next.js apps
ChatGPT – For integration, logic, and patterns
.NET 8 – For modern APIs with minimal boilerplate

Let’s Discuss

Would you use AI to handle your frontend-to-backend flow? Drop your experience or questions in the comments.

Comments 2 total

  • Dheeraj TP
    Dheeraj TPJul 29, 2025

    why did you mentioned vercel v0 and locofy.ai both ? Also is there anyway to convert entire project in figma to react tailwind ?

    • Nikhil Wagh
      Nikhil WaghJul 30, 2025

      Thanks for your comment! Here's why I mentioned both:

      Vercel v0 and Locofy.ai serve similar purposes - converting Figma designs to working code - but they cater to slightly different needs and workflows:

      Why Mention Both?

      • Vercel v0 is more focused on "vibe coding" - you describe what you want and it generates UI + code, great for rapid prototyping. It's AI-first, but not always tightly tied to Figma.
      • Locofy.ai integrates deeply with Figma, allowing pixel-perfect design-to-code conversion. It gives you more control, better for full-project handover with real component mapping.

      Can You Convert Entire Figma to React + Tailwind?
      Yes, but with caveats:

      Tools That Can Help:

      1. Locofy.ai – Converts Figma to React + Tailwind. You can:
      • Tag components
      • Set up reusable logic
      • Export production-grade code
      1. Builder.io – Drag-drop & design-sync with Figma, output to React code (though Tailwind setup is custom).

      2. Anima – Offers Figma to HTML/React, but Tailwind is not the default.

      3. Figma-to-Code Plugins (like Figma to React by BuilderX or Quest AI) – Mostly limited in scope and quality.

      Limitations:

      • Auto-generated code still needs cleanup/refactoring.
      • You need to manually wire up state management, API integration, and responsive behavior.
      • Most tools export UI only, not full functionality.

      If you're building a production app, I'd recommend:

      • Using Locofy for layout + Tailwind output
      • Then plugging in logic manually (or with AI tools like Copilot)

      Hope this helps you!

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