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figma3 min readCurated summary

30 updates: recent features and fixes in Figma | Figma Blog

Figma’s July 2021 update roundup highlights 30 small improvements designed to make everyday design work faster and less disruptive. The changes span vector editing, typography, images, collaboration, navigation, accessibility, browser behavior, and keyboard shortcuts. Together, they reduce friction across common workflows rather than introducing one major feature. ## Vector, Stroke, and Drawing Improvements - Redesigned the stroke panel with easier controls for end caps and connector properties, including connectors copied from FigJam. - Added math operations for changing properties with mixed values. - The Pencil and Pen tools now remember selected stroke settings for future use. - Added hover states for frame presets and improved grid property drag handles. - New rulers are automatically selected after creation, allowing immediate keyboard adjustment or deletion. ## Image and Export Workflow - Added browser support for **Copy as PNG**, using `⌘+Shift+C` or `Ctrl+Shift+C`. - Holding `⌘`/`Ctrl` while resizing an image immediately crops it. - Image adjustment sliders can now be used without an extra click. - Export settings now include an “include bounding box” option, with the corresponding Plugin API setting `use_absolute_bounds`. - Renamed “Contents only” export to “Ignore overlapping layers.” - Pasting an image during text editing now exits text mode and pastes the image normally. ## Typography and Fonts - A second fill added to an object is now a solid color instead of a gradient. - Text export behavior was improved with more precise bounds controls. - Copying text with a missing font now activates the global missing-font indicator. - The missing-font dialog lets users click directly to identify affected layers. - Removed the “+” option for text nodes with mixed styles, making it easier to override them with a new style or color. - Renaming a file no longer produces an unnecessarily tall selected-text background. ## Collaboration and FigJam Integration - Preferences now sync automatically across open tabs without requiring a reload. - Stickies copied from FigJam as text are ordered according to their layout. - Zooming with “Z” no longer shows a selection rectangle to other collaborators. - Layer-panel icons update faster to reflect their corresponding objects. - The layers panel now scrolls to the selected layer when selection keyboard shortcuts are used. ## Navigation, Menus, and Interaction - The “Move to project” dialog can be dismissed by clicking outside it or pressing Esc. - Increased the clickable area for the top-menu chevron. - Middle-clicking selected links opens them. - Alignment and repositioning buttons remain active while editing text. - Users can pan across links without triggering disruptive link pop-ups. - The redesigned cursor hand is less intrusive. - Toolbar dropdowns now work correctly in View Only mode. ## Browser and Safari Fixes - Safari users can scrub fields by holding `⌥` and moving the mouse. - Right-click menus remain open more reliably in Safari. - Various interaction and menu behaviors were refined to make browser-based Figma more consistent. Figma presents these updates as an ongoing effort to remove small sources of friction from design workflows. Users can review the changes in the associated Figma Community file and follow the “What’s New” page for weekly fixes and improvements.

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FigmaFigjamTypographyPlugin Api+2
figma2 min readCurated summary

How the Figma PM team builds products and processes | Figma Blog

Figma’s product management team treats product development as a transparent, collaborative process rather than a sequence of isolated PM tasks. Its culture emphasizes trust, reflection, inclusion, and transparency, bringing cross-functional partners into brainstorming, prioritization, communication, and decision-making. Tools such as FigJam help turn these values into repeatable team practices. ## Collaborative Brainstorming and Idea Development - PMs use cross-functional brainstorming to gather ideas from across teams and move from ambitious concepts toward actionable solutions. - Effective brainstorming requires more than idea generation: teams need clear decisions, follow-up actions, and alignment. - FigJam supports the process from initial ideation through execution and retrospectives. ### “Buy a Feature” Prioritization - Participants receive a limited amount of fictional currency and invest it in proposed product ideas or focus areas. - The exercise connects prioritization to time and resources rather than producing only a ranked list. - It reveals how strongly people would invest in different opportunities and helps teams decide what to pursue. ### Alignment Scales - Team members place their FigJam profile stamps along scales representing opinions about product directions or beliefs. - Comments and discussion explain the reasoning behind each position. - This makes differences in conviction visible and creates a basis for productive debate. ## Communication Beyond Status Updates - Figma’s PMs use weekly stand-ups to share more than completed tasks and outstanding work. - Meetings begin with executive updates and ad hoc contributions, then each PM responds to three prompts: - What personal issue or thought has been on your mind? - What are you worried or excited about? - What hard or interesting problem have you been considering? - These prompts create space for personal context, uncertainty, and problem-solving—not just project reporting. ## Transparency and Cross-Functional Trust - Because PMs work at the center of product development, they must build fluency across functions and deliberately include partners in their processes. - Opening up discussions and decision-making helps teams understand priorities, surface disagreement, and contribute earlier. - Regular reflection and candid communication reinforce trust while keeping product work aligned. Figma’s approach suggests that strong PM processes combine structured exercises with openness and human connection. Teams can adopt similar practices by making prioritization visible, using collaborative tools for alignment, and designing recurring meetings to address both work and the people doing it.

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FigmaFigjamUser ResearchProduct Management+3
figma3 min readCurated summary

Inside Figma: a Q&A with our global sales team | Figma Blog

Figma’s global sales team operates as a product-led, consultative partner rather than a traditional vendor. Sales employees work closely with users, designers, product teams, and internal advocates to expand Figma’s impact across organizations. The team emphasizes collaboration, user empathy, continuous learning, and personal growth. ## Sales as a Partnership - Figma’s users are central to product development, community engagement, and internal operations. - Sales teams help organizations improve product development and scale creative processes. - Internal customer champions often become advocates for Figma, creating partnerships based on shared goals rather than transactional selling. - Sales involves more than designers; decision-makers include product, engineering, and other supporting roles. ## The Growing Importance of Design - Distributed work has increased the need for effective collaboration and accessible design tools. - Figma argues that design is moving to the center of product development. - Stronger design improves user experiences and can help businesses perform better. - The sales team helps organizations understand how Figma can connect designers and collaborators. ## Learning the Design Landscape - New sales employees receive structured onboarding, including a five-week program. - Team members learn from sales colleagues, designer advocates, and direct exposure to customer pain points. - Senior leaders may shadow support teams to better understand users’ challenges and product needs. - Continuous learning is treated as essential, even for employees without prior design experience. ## Product-Led Growth - Many prospective customers already use Figma, reducing reliance on conventional SaaS sales tactics. - Sales representatives can focus on helping existing users expand Figma’s role within their organizations. - Employees are drawn to the model because it feels more like advising and partnering than following a rigid sales cycle. - Figma’s strong product affinity and brand loyalty support this approach. ## A Collaborative Sales Culture - The team describes its culture as supportive, consultative, and low-ego rather than aggressively competitive. - Figma’s motto, “people over pipeline,” reflects its emphasis on personal development and employee well-being. - Success is recognized across the team instead of treated solely as an individual achievement. - Sales works cross-functionally with product and other departments, building relationships that support long-term growth. ## Career Growth - Joining Figma early offered employees the opportunity to help build sales processes from the ground up. - The organization’s rapid growth created opportunities for learning, leadership, and increased responsibility. - Employees were attracted by the chance to take risks, work in a scrappy environment, and develop alongside the company. Figma presents sales as an extension of its product-led philosophy: understand users deeply, collaborate across teams, and help customer advocates bring the product to more people.

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FigmaProduct DesignDesign CollaborationSaas+1
figma2 min readCurated summary

Keeping creativity flowing | Figma Blog

The post argues that creativity and productivity can survive difficult periods when teams make room for play, connection, and personal boundaries. Alek Mackie describes remote-work practices at Shopify that helped illustrators sustain creative energy during the pandemic. The central conclusion is that informal, inclusive human interaction can support serious work rather than distract from it. ## Make Room for Play - Creative work carries serious responsibilities, but occasional fun helps people remain happy, engaged, and inventive. - Figma’s collaborative environment can support harmless practical jokes, such as adding humorous images or fake cursors to coworkers’ files. - Briefly disrupting routine can provide the mental reset needed for a creative breakthrough. ## Design Better Team Activities Effective team-building activities should be: - **Short and easy**, ideally taking less than an hour. - **Free of serious goals or expected outcomes.** - **Optional and casual**, allowing people to observe, leave early, or decline. - **Consensual**, with the team’s interest and boundaries respected. - **Inclusive and accessible**, giving everyone an equal opportunity to participate. Examples include asynchronous creative prompts, watching Bob Ross together while painting in an online MS Paint simulator, and other low-pressure collaborative exercises. ## Create Space for Human Connection - Remote work can reduce interaction to meetings focused only on business outcomes. - Teams should intentionally create opportunities for genuine, non-work-related conversation. - Personal connection and professional effectiveness can coexist and reinforce one another. ## Use Informal Collaboration - Unplanned multiplayer sessions in Figma allow coworkers to work together while chatting, similar to sitting beside one another in an office. - People can collaborate on the same project or work independently while staying connected. - The format should adapt to individual needs: video, audio, written comments, or even silent co-working are all valid options. - Boundaries, workload, and energy levels should determine how people participate. Teams can maintain creativity during difficult times by treating play, connection, and flexibility as legitimate parts of productive work—not as distractions from it.

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FigmaFigjamReal Time CollaborationRemote Work+2
figma2 min readCurated summary

Behind the plugin: Cards for Humanity | Figma Blog

Cards for Humanity is a Figma plugin and website that helps teams practice inclusive and accessible design through an online card game. Players combine character cards with needs, disabilities, or challenges, then discuss how to design products for that person. The Idean team found that the tool makes difficult conversations about inclusion more tangible and encourages empathy-driven design. ## How the Game Works - Players pair two card types: - A character card with a name, age, and personality trait. - A card describing a need, disability, or personal challenge. - Clicking a card reveals written considerations to reduce assumptions about different experiences. - Its open-ended format supports workshops, brainstorming, and informal accessibility discussions. - The game puts people at the center of the design process rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought. ## Designing an Inclusive Tool - The team began with internal research, asking colleagues whether they would share personal traits or disabilities. - They expanded the card content through feedback from the wider product community. - Making the tool itself accessible proved challenging, requiring continuous listening and iteration. - The audience became broader than expected, including lawyers, gamers, clinicians, and educators—not just designers and developers. - This reinforced the importance of plain language, avoiding jargon, and designing for audiences beyond the expected user group. ## Balancing Internal Work and Client Priorities - Agency teams must balance billable client work with internal projects that have less obvious short-term ROI. - Idean viewed inclusive design as directly connected to better products, stronger outcomes, and happier clients. - Team members contributed both allocated work time and personal effort because of their commitment to the project. - The tool became part of the agency’s client process, potentially extending its impact across the products those clients create. - The team argues that inclusion should be understood not only as a business benefit, but also as a social responsibility. ## Starting the Conversation - Cards for Humanity is not prescriptive; simply discussing the cards can open conversations about accessibility. - The tool helps teams move from abstract intentions to concrete questions about people’s needs. - Its central purpose is to build empathy and make inclusive design a regular part of product development. Teams can use the plugin or website as a practical starting point for discussing accessibility, inclusion, and the responsibility designers and developers have toward diverse users.

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FigmaProduct DesignAccessibilityInclusive Design+1
figma2 min readCurated summary

Introducing Figma’s New York City hub | Figma Blog

Figma opened a new hub in New York City as part of its hybrid work strategy, which combines remote flexibility with optional in-person collaboration. The company views hubs as flexible spaces for connection, creativity, and customer engagement rather than traditional assigned-desk offices. New York was chosen for its diverse talent, strong customer base, and influential design culture. ## A Hybrid Model Built Around Choice - Figma’s hybrid approach offers employees both remote and in-person work options. - The company’s hubs are intended to help employees connect with colleagues and users worldwide. - An internal 2020 survey found that 68% of employees would consider relocating away from a Figma hub if all roles could be remote. - The article emphasizes that distributed work can provide flexibility, eliminate commuting, and support different lifestyles. ## Supporting Remote Employees - The author joined Figma during the pandemic and initially worked entirely remotely. - Her team encouraged employees to ask for help and made quick virtual collaboration easy. - Figma created structures for remote engagement, including: - Virtual onboarding through “Figma Today” - Globally accessible Maker Week events - Spaces for openly discussing challenges - Although remote work was effective, the author personally found shared physical spaces more fulfilling. ## Reimagining the Office - Figma’s hubs are designed to accommodate different work preferences. - They have no assigned desks and include informal gathering areas. - The goal is to create flexible, inspiring environments where people and ideas can meet. - The spaces are intended to encourage conversation, curiosity, experimentation, and collaboration. ## Why New York City? - New York offers: - A deep and diverse talent pool - Many existing Figma customers - A significant history and influence in design - Strong creative communities across industries - Figma plans to grow sales and product development teams in the city, while making many other roles available there as well. - These teams will help build customer relationships, understand business needs, and deliver products that serve a broad range of users. ## Growing the Figma Community - Figma’s workforce had doubled since the beginning of 2020. - The New York landing team was responsible for establishing and expanding the new hub. - The author viewed relocating as an opportunity to be closer to family, experience a new environment, and participate in New York’s culture. Figma presents the New York hub as a flexible complement to remote work, giving employees the freedom to choose how they work while strengthening collaboration, hiring, and customer relationships.

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FigmaProduct DesignRemote WorkHybrid Work
figma3 min readCurated summary

How News UK developed a multi-brand design system | Figma Blog

News UK needed a unified design system for brands spanning print, digital, radio, and television, but its independently operated teams and fragmented tools made scaling difficult. By migrating to Figma, simplifying library management, and investing in education and advocacy, the company created a flexible system that supported brand differences while encouraging collaboration. The transition improved adoption substantially, including a 23-point increase in internal NPS during the first quarter. ## Fragmented Tools and Independent Brands - News UK’s brands, including *The Times* and *The Sun*, historically had separate design organizations, product teams, and workflows. - The team attempted to combine Sketch, Abstract, Zeplin, and InVision, but the result was difficult to maintain. - Design-system updates could take days or weeks, and accommodating brand variations created thousands of styles. - Existing theming features became rigid and overly complex as product requirements expanded. - The launch of *The Times* radio station exposed how much support the design-systems team needed to provide, making the approach unsustainable. - News UK chose Figma to consolidate tools, centralize library management, and increase participation. ## Building Adoption Through Education - The team recognized that successful adoption required cultural change, not just a new tool or library. - Design-system specialists personally configured designers’ Figma workspaces and provided onboarding. - Workshops and documentation covered: - Migrating files from Sketch - Structuring and managing files - Using components - Commenting and inspecting designs - Integrating tools such as Jira - Designers were encouraged to contribute component specifications and reusable patterns. - The team created Figma guidance tools to recommend components for common scenarios, such as onboarding users to a new product. - Designer advocates promoted best practices within product areas and acted as contacts between their teams and the design-systems group. ## Supporting Multiple Brands at Scale - News UK completed its migration to Figma in a few weeks. - Designers shifted from viewing the design system as a burden to seeing it as a productivity aid. - Shared components could be given different brand themes, allowing one system to support distinct visual identities. - A custom Themer plugin helped teams experiment with and build components that worked across multiple brands. - Earlier collaboration and feedback reduced duplicated work and discouraged teams from reinventing existing solutions. - The system was rolled out across all product and design teams. ## Measurable Results - Internal product teams increasingly adopted and contributed to the system. - News UK recorded a 23-point increase in its design-system NPS in the first quarter after introducing Figma. - Teams reported practical benefits while recognizing that the system would continue to evolve. News UK’s experience shows that a scalable multi-brand design system depends on both flexible technology and sustained organizational engagement. Consolidating tools, supporting brand-specific themes, educating users, and appointing internal advocates can turn a centralized system into a shared platform rather than a constraint.

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FigmaDesign SystemsJiraSketch+4
figma2 min readCurated summary

Figma's Series E | Figma Blog

Figma announced its Series E funding round in June 2021, led by Durable Capital Partners with participation from Morgan Stanley’s Counterpoint Global and earlier investors. The round valued the company at roughly $10 billion. CEO Dylan Field framed the funding as support for Figma’s broader mission: making design accessible, collaborative, and relevant to everyone involved in creating products. ## Series E Funding - Durable Capital Partners led the new investment round. - New investors included Counterpoint Global, Morgan Stanley’s investment group. - Existing investors such as Index, Greylock, Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia, and Andreessen Horowitz also participated. - The announcement followed 16 months of disruption and remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. ## Figma’s Vision for Accessible Design - Figma aims to make design accessible to all, not only professional designers. - Its browser-based multiplayer model is intended to change how teams work and build products together. - The company plans to serve: - Expert designers with specialized tools - Engineers, product managers, and other product-development roles - Students and company executives - A broader community interested in creativity and visual collaboration - Field described a future with more products that help more people create and collaborate visually. ## Appreciation for the Figma Community - Field credited Figma’s employees, users, and designer community for the company’s progress. - He emphasized the team’s shared experience of working, growing, and supporting one another during the pandemic. - The company presented the funding as both an opportunity and a responsibility to continue serving its community. Figma’s Series E marked a major financial milestone, but the company positioned it primarily as fuel for expanding collaborative, design-first product development. Its recommendation to prospective employees was clear: join the company as it broadens design beyond traditional specialists.

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FigmaReal Time CollaborationProduct DevelopmentDesign Tools+1
figma2 min readCurated summary

The five stages of an effective brainstorm | Figma Blog

Effective brainstorming requires more than generating creative ideas: it depends on preparation, inclusive facilitation, focused ideation, and a clear path toward action. Figma recommends creating psychological safety while also giving participants structure, context, and a shared goal. The process should ultimately turn divergent ideas into tangible outcomes. ## Prepare and Plan Ahead - Explain why each participant was invited and how they can contribute. - Share pre-reading, briefs, or collaborative files before the session. - Use short pre-meetings with key stakeholders to gather feedback and address concerns early. - Treat the work before and after the meeting as just as important as the brainstorm itself. ## Make Introductions and Manage Expectations - Begin with an icebreaker, such as drawing an animal or creating collaborator cards, to encourage a creative mindset. - Establish shared rules for participation, including expectations about attention and multitasking. - Clearly explain the brainstorm’s purpose and acknowledge that not every idea will be used. - Facilitators should create an open, inclusive environment where people feel comfortable contributing. ## Generate Ideas - Use adaptable templates as “recipes” rather than starting from a blank canvas each time. - Lower the barrier to participation with prompts such as “How might we…?” or simple warm-up exercises. - Define a “north star” that states what problem the group is solving and what it should produce. - Encourage ambitious ideas by making the session playful, including small rewards for especially creative suggestions. ## Share Artifacts and Outcomes - Move deliberately from divergent idea generation toward convergence and prioritization. - Ask questions and refine suggestions rather than accepting ideas at face value. - Evaluate ideas against the session’s shared goal or “north star.” - Ensure the brainstorm produces useful artifacts and clear tactical direction, rather than ending with a collection of disconnected ideas. The provided text ends partway through the fourth stage, so details of the fifth stage are not included.

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FigmaFigjamSlackDesign Thinking+1
figma2 min readCurated summary

Collaborating and connecting in FigJam | Figma Blog

FigJam evolved from a brainstorming tool into a shared workspace for meetings, research, retrospectives, and team-building during remote work. Figma teams use collaborative files to make contributions visible, preserve context, and reduce reliance on lengthy synchronous discussions. The newly added timer strengthens this approach by helping teams coordinate activities and stay focused together. ## Daily Stand-ups - Figma’s Editor Platform team uses a virtual stand-up template for quick daily check-ins. - Teammates add sticky notes about current work, recent progress, blockers, and issues requiring discussion. - Each file represents one day, creating a historical record that helps the team track progress over time. - The format emphasizes visibility and shared context without requiring lengthy meetings. ## Synthesizing Research Feedback - Figma’s research team replaced spreadsheets with FigJam for organizing and discussing user feedback. - Unlike spreadsheet comments, FigJam allows cross-functional partners to annotate research, ask questions, and identify patterns directly in the workspace. - Team members can independently review reports and add takeaways to matrices before meeting, making group discussions more focused. - Templates help organize findings around user archetypes and other research themes. ## Retrospectives and Inclusive Feedback - Teams use retrospective templates covering successes, improvement areas, shout-outs, and future ideas. - Sticky notes create a low barrier to participation, especially for people who are less comfortable speaking in meetings. - Contributions remain visible and easy to scan, helping teams recognize input across engineering, design, and product. - The timer supports structured facilitation: one team gives participants 15 minutes per topic before moving on. ## Team Culture and Social Activities - FigJam is also used for birthday cards, speed-drawing contests, board games, and informal gatherings. - During the FigJam launch, Figma’s marketing team held a remote drawing session with a cartoon artist and a live llama. - These activities demonstrate that the workspace can support connection and celebration, not just project work. The article recommends combining FigJam’s templates and shared canvas with its timer to run more engaging stand-ups, retrospectives, research sessions, architecture discussions, and social activities.

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FigmaFigjamUser ResearchRemote Work+3
figma2 min readCurated summary

Inside Figma: how our PM team uses FigJam | Figma Blog

Figma’s product management team uses FigJam throughout the product-development lifecycle, not just for early-stage brainstorming. They rely on collaborative templates to shape strategy, generate ideas, plan roadmaps, run retrospectives, and stay aligned in weekly meetings. The broader conclusion is that a flexible visual workspace can strengthen both execution and team rituals, especially for distributed teams. ## Developing a Product Vision - The team uses a product vision board to define short- and long-term priorities. - The board connects user needs, potential features, and business goals. - Visualizing these elements helps validate strategy and show how individual plans support broader objectives. - FigJam makes it easy to capture rough ideas without focusing prematurely on wording or polish. ## Brainstorming Ideas with Crazy 8s - The PM team uses the “Crazy 8s” framework to generate many ideas quickly. - Participants have eight minutes to create eight possible solutions to a problem. - The emphasis is on speed and quantity rather than detailed refinement. - Afterward, the team shares ideas and discusses which concepts are worth pursuing. ## Building and Visualizing Roadmaps - FigJam supports structured planning as well as freeform exploration. - The team uses a Gantt chart to map projects and build product roadmaps. - A visual timeline clarifies each project’s scope, reach, staffing needs, and resource requirements. - It also exposes conflicts and helps the team identify when priorities need to change. ## Running Retrospectives - Product, engineering, and design teams use recurring templates to review product execution. - Marketing, support, and product education teams apply similar retrospectives to go-to-market work. - Sessions focus on what went well and what could improve, creating visibility across teams. - The team also retrospectives its internal processes to ensure they continue working as the organization grows. ## Staying Connected in Weekly Meetings - The PM team meets weekly in a shared FigJam file to exchange updates and maintain alignment. - Prompts cover difficult problems, exciting or concerning developments, and personal updates. - Cursor chats, stickers, and emotes make remote meetings more interactive. - Figma turned this meeting structure into a reusable template for other teams. Figma presents FigJam as a workspace that can support the entire product process. Teams can start with the provided templates and adapt them for strategy, collaboration, planning, reflection, and remote communication.

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FigmaFigjamProduct ManagementBrainstorming+3
figma2 min readCurated summary

Pride 2021: Getting back out there | Figma Blog

Figma’s 2021 Pride post presents Pride as both a celebration of LGBTQ+ identity and a continuation of the community’s history of resistance. Clancy Slack describes how Figma’s Pride Employee Resource Group creates space for authenticity and belonging, especially after the isolation and injustice of 2020. As in-person events began returning, Figma invited the broader design community to express Pride through posters made and shared in Figma Community. ## Figma’s commitment to community and belonging - Figma’s mission of making design accessible extends to building inclusive communities. - Figma Community connects hundreds of thousands of users who collaborate and create together. - Employee Resource Groups help Figmates connect around shared identities and experiences. - The Pride ERG, founded in 2019, provides LGBTQ+ employees with a space to be open, authentic, and supported. - During Maker Week, the group explored Pride iconography and collaboratively designed original artwork. ## Pride’s history and renewed significance - Pride offers LGBTQ+ people a rare opportunity to celebrate openly, feel safe, and connect with their community. - The occasion commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and the history of resistance to anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and police raids. - The pandemic and widespread reminders of injustice made community and solidarity especially important in 2020. - With vaccinations increasing and cities preparing for in-person parades, Pride represented a hopeful return to public celebration. ## A call for Pride posters - Figma encouraged designers, artists, and makers to create Pride posters using the platform. - Participants were asked to publish their work to Figma Community with the hashtag **#pride**. - Posters could be printed for local parades or used to celebrate Pride at home. - Figma planned to feature selected designs in a curated Community collection. - The post highlighted employee-created designs, including messages such as “Show your true colors” and “Love is Love.” - A Figma template provided standard sizing and printing guidance. Figma’s central recommendation is to use creative collaboration to strengthen visibility, connection, and LGBTQ+ community celebration—bringing Pride back into public spaces while keeping its history and purpose in view.

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FigmaDesign SystemsCollaborative DesignFigma Community
figma2 min readCurated summary

Embracing the mess at Config 2021 | Figma Blog

Config 2021 emphasized that product development is inherently messy, and setbacks, conflicts, and failures can ultimately improve teams and products. The central recommendation is to treat difficult moments as learning opportunities: step back from failed work, communicate openly, and intentionally preserve what can be learned. ## Learning from Setbacks Shanique Shields of Shopify described discovering that a feature she had worked on for 18 months would be rolled back. Initially, she felt personally responsible, but taking a break helped her recognize the experience’s value. - **Don’t personalize feedback:** Stakeholders may simply have different perspectives or priorities; criticism is not necessarily a judgment of the designer or the work’s quality. - **Document the process:** Preserve design decisions, Figma comments, and personal notes, even when work does not ship. These records help future projects and allow others to learn. - **Be intentional about growth:** Identify the skills, business knowledge, or cross-functional experience gained from each project. - **Start the next project positively:** Use a new workstream as a fresh start and rally the team around a shared goal. ## Addressing Conflict Through Openness Frank Bach of Headspace argued that even strong teams experience communication breakdowns. The best response is to address friction directly rather than allowing problems to grow. - Be transparent about concerns and listen carefully to the other person’s perspective. - Approach difficult conversations candidly and objectively. - Ignoring conflict prevents teams from making progress. - Practice gratitude by recognizing the value of design work, teammates, and collaborative opportunities. The article’s practical message is to embrace the difficult parts of product work. Teams become more resilient when they reflect on failure, communicate courageously, and carry lessons from messy experiences into future projects.

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FigmaDesign SystemsProduct DevelopmentProject Management+2
figma2 min readCurated summary

Q&A with Dantley Davis | Figma Blog

Dantley Davis’s Config 2021 Q&A presents design as intentional problem-solving shaped by curiosity, collaboration, and diverse perspectives. He emphasizes using adversity and data to create meaningful impact, while staying humble and avoiding ego-driven design culture. His answers also highlight the importance of cross-disciplinary knowledge, personal creativity, and building inclusive teams. ## Design Philosophy and Creative Practice - Davis describes his creative process as “intentional.” - The best design solves an unrecognized problem so effectively that people cannot imagine life without it. - He defines design as problem-solving through form and function. - His greatest design fear is producing work that receives no reaction. - He dislikes designing primarily for oneself. - He values data as an underused tool for informing design decisions. - His favorite UI font is Montserrat; he prefers Akzidenz-Grotesk for type, hex colors, and specifically `#000000`. ## Collaboration and Team Culture - Good teammates are curious and ego-free. - Teams feel cohesive when members: - Seek feedback because they trust one another. - Inspire each other through their work and perspectives. - Set aside personal ego. - Davis considers building the most diverse team in tech his greatest career accomplishment. - He views mentorship as an important part of his role in the Design Twitter community. ## Leadership and Professional Growth - Davis is skeptical of the emphasis placed on being a “thought leader.” - He encourages young designers to study business, engineering, and finance to become more well-rounded thinkers. - He admires Issa Rae for combining writing, producing, and acting while remaining authentic to her story. - He credits personal time and side projects with helping him do his best creative work. - He regrets that one shipped product remained available too long after it stopped meaningfully benefiting users. ## Design Inspirations and Future Ambitions - Davis would like to design a car interface and would love to shape Porsche’s entire ecosystem, from driving to its app. - He admires designer Clement Mok and would invite him to critique his team’s work. - He praises Roblox for enabling children to play, socialize, and build rather than merely consume content. - He enjoyed Afrotech’s virtual conference, especially its combination of online access and a feeling of presence. - His favorite Figma feature is Observation Mode. Ultimately, Davis advocates for intentional, user-centered design supported by data, interdisciplinary learning, honest feedback, and inclusive collaboration.

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FigmaDesign SystemsWeb DesignUser Interface Design+2
figma3 min readCurated summary

In the file at Config 2021 | Figma Blog

Config 2021’s breakout sessions emphasized practical systems for building products and teams. Coda’s Helena Jaramillo described how to create a strong product vision without existing user data, while Stripe’s design team shared principles for meeting immediate needs without sacrificing long-term scalability. Both approaches rely on context, shared perspectives, strong foundations, and thoughtful communication. ## Building a Vision from Zero to One - At Coda, Helena Jaramillo worked on a publishing platform designed to help users share best practices and discover documents. - Because the product was new, the team lacked existing user behavior, research participants, and historical data. - Helena built context by studying competitors and adjacent products, annotating screenshots in Figma, and identifying useful or unsuitable patterns. ## Developing a Strong Product Perspective - The team explored what publishing on Coda should feel like: a blog post, a no-code app, or a website. - They used Helena’s publishing experience and internal discussion to form a shared point of view. - Two priorities emerged: - Make publishing interactive documents easy. - Help publishers feel proud of and recognized for their work. - These principles shaped features such as simple publishing flows, photos, subtitles, and bylines. - When user insights are unavailable, a team can rely on collective intuition and expertise—but only by aligning around a clear perspective. ## Communicating the Broader Story - Helena created a “tl;dr page” in Figma to align cross-functional partners. - Rather than documenting every feature, the page used a short flow and several mockups to show the product narrative. - The goal was to make the intended experience understandable without requiring deep project context. ## Designing for Immediate Needs and Long-Term Scale Stripe’s Connie Yang, Tayler Aitken, and their team focus on simplifying complex processes for businesses and end users. Their approach combines urgency with long-term planning. - **Think in long time scales:** Stripe uses a “city planner mentality,” considering how systems connect, handle growth, and respond to future needs—potentially as far ahead as 2030. - **Lay strong foundations:** Teams should invest in fast, accessible products and scalable systems instead of short-term fixes. - Stripe’s design-system color tables, for example, include contrast and accessibility ratings, embedding quality requirements directly into the infrastructure. - **Prioritize rigor and quality:** Because Stripe handles payments and payouts, user trust is essential. The team accepts additional complexity when it produces a more reliable, polished experience. The practical recommendation is to combine strong early judgment with durable systems: build enough context to form a clear vision, communicate that vision simply, and make foundational decisions that continue serving users as the product grows.

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FigmaDesign SystemsUser ExperienceProduct Design+2