techlist.io
KREN

Figma

736 posts

www.figma.com/blog/engineering

Filter by tag

Figma528Design Systems246User Experience140Prototyping135AI110Figjam98Product Design76User Interface63Generative AI47Collaborative Design47Accessibility41React39+1265
figma3 min readCurated summary

Finding a Forever Home for FigPals | Figma Blog

FigPals were temporary customizable companions in Figma files, designed to make long hours of creative work feel more playful and social. Inspired by nostalgic virtual pets and toy culture, they quickly became a hit, with users creating emotional connections to their pixel-based friends. Although FigPals will not remain permanently active, Figma is preserving them through sticker packs and other commemorative experiences. ## What FigPals Were - Users could create, customize, and name companions across Figma products. - More than 9,000 combinations were possible, including animals, food, colors, and accessories. - FigPals followed users’ cursors and interacted with other companions in the same file. - Users could pose them in a photobooth and save images as keepsakes. - Easter eggs included feeding pals layers and nodes and surprising them by detaching components. ## Nostalgia and the April Fun Day Launch - FigPals launched on April 1 as part of Figma’s annual April Fun Day tradition. - The concept drew on nostalgia for products such as Pet Rocks, Tamagotchis, Neopets, and Furby commercials. - Figma partnered with Night Shift to create a deliberately zany, vintage-style promotional video. - The goal was to make work feel less lonely and repetitive by giving designers playful companions. ## From Maker Week to FigPals - FigPals evolved from internal Maker Week experiments: - **Figmagotchi** featured Tamagotchi-inspired creatures fed with sticky notes. - **FigPets** introduced pixelated pets that moved around Figma toolbelts. - A small team across engineering, product, and design developed the limited-release version. - The project reflected Figma’s emphasis on experimentation, play, and building enjoyable web experiences. ## The FigPal Frenzy - Users saved more than 1.5 million FigPals within a week. - They fed their companions more than 250,000 times. - Five FigPals were saved as the only examples of their particular model, color, and accessory combination. - One user created and saved 210 pals, while the most popular design—a pink cat with a heart speech bubble—accounted for 13% of saved pals. - Community members became emotionally attached, with some modeling their FigPals after real pets. ## Preserving FigPals Through Stickers - A petition seeking to make FigPals permanent attracted more than 2,000 signatures. - Figma extended the feature by one additional week but ultimately chose not to keep the companions active indefinitely. - Instead, it released FigPal sticker packs so users could continue displaying them in Figma files. - Additional FigPal-related surprises were planned for attendees of Config. Figma’s response shows how a short-lived playful feature can create lasting community engagement. While the interactive FigPals have ended, sticker packs provide a simple way to preserve the experience and keep the characters present in users’ work.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaUser ExperienceFigjamProduct Design+3
figma3 min readCurated summary

How to Streamline Your Design System Workflow in Figma | Figma Blog

Figma’s latest design-system updates reduce the repetitive work involved in organizing variables, styles, components, and documentation. The post combines nine quality-of-life improvements with a set of plugins covering the workflow from color and typography foundations through documentation, component specs, and code handoff. Together, these tools aim to make design systems faster to build, easier to maintain, and more useful to developers. ## Reordering Modes and Collections - Modes and variable collections can now be rearranged with drag and drop. - Existing modes and IDs remain intact, avoiding resets, broken dependencies, or out-of-sync designs. - Teams can: - Move frequently used collections to the top. - Group related modes. - Reorganize collections during rebrands or product-line updates. - The default mode can also be changed more easily. ## Nine Quality-of-Life Improvements Figma introduced several smaller improvements intended to remove workflow friction: - A shortcut for jumping directly to a component’s main source. - The ability to duplicate and copy styles. - Options to hide and reveal variable paints. - A clearer component-description interface. - A variable modal that can be dragged from anywhere in its header. - Automatic saving for variable changes. - Tooltips that provide context for component names. - Better alignment for the Edit button. - Improved text overflow handling for long style names. ## Building the Foundations The post recommends using community plugins to accelerate the foundational work of creating colors, typography, spacing, and other core design-system decisions. ### Creating Color Palettes The highlighted tools support different aspects of color-system creation: - **CSS color-mix()** helps create color palettes and gradients. - **Colorbox** generates complete color ramps. - **The Genome Color Tool** helps build color scales that meet WCAG accessibility requirements. ### Establishing Typography and Variables - **Peppercorn** assists with setting up an entire type system. - **Print Variables** creates sticker sheets for variable collections. - **Auto Documentation** generates visual documentation for variables. - **Variables and Styles List** presents variable sheets inside a Figma canvas widget. ## Documenting Components and Styles Documentation tools help teams make systems easier to understand and adopt: - **Propstar** maps component property and prop variations. - **Specs** generates component specifications. - **Similayer** filters for particular layers and properties. - **Style Finder** locates styles across pages. These tools can reduce the manual effort required to explain component behavior and find existing design decisions. ## Bridging Design and Development The recommended implementation tools connect Figma variables and styles with code: - **CTRL Var** supports variable renaming. - **Export Import Variables** moves variables into or out of Figma. - **Handoff** copies CSS variables quickly. - **Variables Converter** translates variables into code. - **Shaper** helps manage token architecture and generate CSS. ## Practical Recommendation Start with Figma’s built-in improvements for organizing collections, modes, styles, and variables, then add plugins selectively for color generation, documentation, component specification, and code handoff. The goal is not to use every tool, but to create a repeatable workflow that keeps design-system foundations consistent and makes implementation easier for developers.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaDesign SystemsDesign TokensCSS+4
figma2 min readCurated summary

Double Click: You Can Just Do Things—But Should You Always? | Figma Blog

AI tools are creating a renewed sense of possibility, making it easier for people—even nontechnical users—to build, write, design, and research. Figma’s article celebrates the excitement behind the “you can just do things” mantra while questioning whether constant creation may also become exhausting. Its central tension is whether AI is ushering in a creative golden age or overwhelming people with too many possibilities. ## The “You Can Just Do Things” Mantra - The phrase has become a tech-world rallying cry alongside: - “Move fast and break things” - “Don’t ask for permission” - “It’s time to build” - “Founder mode” - “Fuck around and find out” - AI-powered tools make the idea feel more attainable than ever by lowering the barriers to execution. - Writing assistants, design generators, and research platforms allow more people to create without specialized technical skills. - The article connects this mindset to earlier advocates such as Steve Jobs and contemporary online creators. ## The Thrill of Discovery - The current AI boom is compared to the early 2010s, when discovering apps such as Instagram and Uber felt especially exciting after the App Store’s emergence. - Michael Mignano of Lightspeed Venture Partners observes that people are once again hearing about impressive new products every day. - Crucially, these recommendations increasingly come from ordinary friends—not only people working in technology. - This suggests AI products are becoming broadly accessible and relevant beyond the traditional tech community. ## Possibility Versus Overload - The proliferation of AI tools creates a powerful sense that almost anything can be attempted. - At the same time, the sheer number of available tools and projects may become mentally exhausting. - The article asks whether high agency and constant experimentation empower people or pressure them to stay perpetually productive. - It frames the issue as a balance: embracing AI’s creative potential without feeling obligated to act on every possible idea. People should take advantage of AI’s expanded creative possibilities while resisting the expectation to “do everything.” The most sustainable approach is selective experimentation—use tools that meaningfully support a goal rather than treating constant activity as the goal itself.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaAIGenerative AIProduct Design+2
figma3 min readCurated summary

Designing for Security and Usability: Figma's Modern Endpoint Strategy | Figma Blog

Figma argues that effective endpoint security must balance strong controls with a smooth employee experience. Excessive friction encourages unsafe workarounds and noncompliance, while self-service remediation and data-driven rollouts make security easier to adopt. Its strategy combines automated device quarantine, application allowlisting, and just-in-time access controls to protect systems without unnecessarily disrupting productivity. ## Security and usability must work together - Strict policies alone do not guarantee safety. - Complicated password rules, for example, can lead employees to reuse passwords or write them down. - Security controls should help employees work securely rather than create incentives to bypass them. - Employee trust and participation make the overall security program more effective. ## Endpoint Security Baseline and self-service remediation - Figma’s Endpoint Security Baseline (ESB) enforces controls such as: - Keeping browsers updated - Disabling remote login - Preventing kernel extensions from running - Kernel extensions can execute code at a low system level and potentially exfiltrate data, disable protections, or steal credentials. - Using OSQuery, the ESB detects risks such as unauthorized kernel extensions. - Noncompliant devices are quarantined and blocked from privileged services including AWS, GitHub, and Google Workspace. - The system attempts automatic fixes before contacting the user. - If user action is required, Slack provides instructions and self-service remediation. - Access is restored immediately once the device returns to a safe state. ## Data-driven rollout of Santa - Santa is an open-source macOS binary allowlisting tool that permits only approved applications to run. - Figma first used Santa’s Monitor Mode to observe application usage before enabling Lockdown Mode. - The rollout revealed that: - Most non-engineering employees used a small set of standard applications. - Engineers frequently created new binaries during development. - Engineers also relied on numerous productivity tools that required review. - Figma built automated approval for developer-created binaries and reviewed commonly used tools. - The resulting allowlist meant 90% of devices would experience no blocked applications. - A Slack-based self-service approval workflow handled less common applications. - Santa was gradually deployed to experienced engineers, improving security with minimal disruption. ## Just-in-time access with Opal - Figma identifies two problematic access models: - A “Wild West” approach with few safeguards and excessive production access - A heavily process-driven model that slows employees and encourages unsafe alternatives - Overly restrictive access processes can lead to practices such as using development environments for production work or deploying shadow IT. - Figma introduces just-in-time access with Opal to seek a middle ground: controlled access that employees can request when needed, without permanent privileges. Figma’s approach recommends making security automated, observable, and self-service wherever possible. Strong controls are most effective when they protect sensitive systems while allowing employees to resolve issues and obtain legitimate access quickly.

Read original(opens in new tab)
MacosEndpoint SecurityOsqueryBinary Allowlisting+3
figma3 min readCurated summary

Why Design is for Everyone | Figma Blog

Design is presented not as a discipline owned by professional designers, but as a shared way of solving problems and communicating ideas. As technology evolved from physical products like Sony’s Walkman to software and digital interfaces, design became increasingly central to usability, accessibility, and product success. The author argues that organizations achieve better products and systems when design knowledge is shared across teams rather than confined to a single department. ## Design as a shared practice - Design is described as: - A tool for solving problems - A mindset for approaching challenges - A framework for communicating and developing ideas - Professional designers may identify strongly with the discipline, but design should remain accessible to everyone. - Observing hundreds of teams and thousands of individuals led the author to conclude that individual expertise has limits. - Teams equipped with shared design knowledge can create: - Better user experiences - More effective processes - Stronger organizational systems - The future of design is therefore organization-wide, built through a design-driven culture rather than isolated design departments. ## Design through technological change - Design evolves alongside technology, helping transform technical possibilities into products people can understand and use. - Its role extends beyond appearance: design bridges the gap between prototypes and market-ready experiences. ## The Walkman: engineering combined with user-centered design - Sony’s 1979 portable stereo began with engineering advances from the Pressman tape recorder. - Engineers made the device smaller and lighter, removed recording functionality, and improved sound quality. - Design was essential to the Walkman’s widespread adoption: - User testing shaped its intuitive interface. - Field research identified ways to improve portability and usability. - Dual headphone jacks supported shared listening. - The “hotline” button allowed users to talk while listening. - Its distinctive blue-and-silver body and orange button differentiated it from conventional black, gray, and white electronics. - The Walkman illustrates how engineering, interface design, accessibility, user research, and design thinking can combine to create a cultural icon. ## The rise of interface design - By the mid-2000s, industry attention shifted from hardware toward the software that powered devices. - Apple’s products demonstrated that hardware alone was insufficient; interfaces, touch interactions, haptics, and software usability were equally important. - The App Store created a new mobile-software economy and intensified competition around digital experiences. - Web 2.0 and mobile apps accelerated investment in software and helped establish new technology companies. - Software expanded interface design beyond the constraints of physical controls, enabling more powerful and flexible interaction models. ## Digital-native interfaces - Early digital products often used skeuomorphism, imitating familiar physical objects such as buttons, sliders, and scroll wheels. - These visual metaphors helped users understand unfamiliar digital interfaces by connecting them to established physical experiences. Design works best when it is treated as a shared organizational capability. Giving non-designers a seat at the table allows teams to apply user-centered thinking to products, processes, and systems at scale.

Read original(opens in new tab)
User ExperienceAccessibilityDesign ThinkingSoftware Design+3
figma2 min readCurated summary

The Designer's Handbook for Developer Handoff | Figma Blog

Design-to-development handoff works best as an ongoing collaboration rather than a final transfer of files. Designers and developers bring different priorities—elegance and consistency versus performance and stability—so teams should involve engineering early, communicate openly, and agree on what “good” means. The article organizes this collaboration around aligning on the product, choosing how to build it, sharing vocabulary, and clarifying design intent. ## Align on What You’re Building - Involve developers during wireframing or early feasibility checks, when design ideas are still easy to change. - Early engineering input can: - Clarify scope and technical constraints - Reveal difficult implementation logic - Identify opportunities to reuse or extend existing functionality - Prevent costly rework later - Use wireframes in Figma or FigJam to make ideas concrete without overcommitting to visual details. - Figma is suited to more structured, concrete visuals. - FigJam supports exploratory thinking and feedback from outside collaborators. - Less realistic wireframes help teams focus on user flows and overall direction instead of prematurely debating polish. ## Ask Developers Targeted Questions - Developers may notice redundant work or reusable patterns, but designers often need to prompt them explicitly. - Ask about: - Constraints and possible friction in the data layer - Missing states in a sequence of screens - Existing product patterns that could be reused - Asking these questions turns developers into proactive design partners rather than people who only implement finished screens. ## Work Within Developer Workflows - Developers frequently switch contexts and need uninterrupted time to reach a productive flow state. - Designers can build trust and improve collaboration by understanding how developers work and meeting them in their existing tools and processes. - The article also points to shared artifacts, such as using code blocks in FigJam to align on component APIs in design-system documentation and development workflows. ## Broader Collaboration Principles - Effective handoff depends on curiosity, continuous communication, and a shared point of view about quality. - The remaining focus areas are deciding how the design should be built, adopting a shared language, and explaining design intent in ways that account for the developer experience. Designers should treat handoff as a shared problem-solving process, involving developers early and asking precise questions about constraints, states, reuse, and implementation. This reduces rework while producing designs that are both ambitious and practical to build.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaDesign SystemsFigjamWireframing+2
figma2 min readCurated summary

What Makes Designers and Developers Happy at Work? | Figma Blog

Designers and developers are generally becoming happier at work: 41% report higher satisfaction than the previous year. Based on a survey of 943 product builders, Figma identifies organizational design strategy, hybrid-work policies, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration as major influences. The article argues that clear expectations, empowered teams, and stronger designer-developer partnerships can improve workplace satisfaction. ## Design’s Place in the Organization - Designers are more satisfied when design is treated as a strategic partner rather than a service function. - Strategic design encourages greater customer focus and gives designers more influence on product direction. - Designers can strengthen this position by balancing exploration with execution. - Wise recommends a “now, next, future” model: - 70% of effort on current deliverables - 20% on upcoming work - 10% on longer-term possibilities ## Company Policies on Hybrid Work - 97% of respondents work remotely at least part of the time; more than half are fully or mostly remote. - One-size-fits-all hybrid policies can create logistical problems, such as overcrowded offices on certain days and empty workspaces on others. - Organizations should establish clear, predictable expectations around where and when employees work. - Companies may need to choose a coherent model—fully remote, mostly in-office, or a deliberately structured hybrid approach. ## How Leaders Empower Their Teams - Managers influence happiness by understanding what support employees need and ensuring good work is recognized. - Effective leadership focuses on results rather than monitoring hours or physical location. - A flexible management philosophy can give employees autonomy while maintaining accountability for the quality of their work. ## Effective Collaboration and Communication - Among highly satisfied designers, 69% rate collaboration with developers as effective or very effective. - Developers with higher job satisfaction also collaborate with designers more frequently. - 84% of designers work with developers at least weekly. - Whiteboarding and collaborative design tools support the real-time, iterative nature of modern product development. - Despite frequent collaboration, 91% of developers and 92% of designers believe their processes could improve. - Misalignment remains a significant issue, including gaps in designers’ understanding of engineering constraints. Organizations can improve satisfaction by positioning design strategically, creating practical work policies, empowering managers and employees, and investing in better designer-developer collaboration.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaCollaborative DesignMultiplayer CollaborationWhiteboarding+1
figma2 min readCurated summary

Figma Localizes Product and Support for Spanish Market | Figma Blog

Figma is launching a fully localized Spanish experience for users in Spain, including translated products, culturally adapted interfaces, and dedicated support. The move reflects Spain’s strong adoption of Figma and the company’s broader strategy to serve its largely international user base. Spanish becomes Figma’s second fully localized language after Japanese, with more languages planned later this year. ## Spanish Localization Goes Beyond Translation - Figma is adapting its product experience for Spanish-speaking users through: - Full product translation - Culturally relevant user interfaces - Dedicated Spanish-language support - The rollout begins March 27 and is expected to finish by April 17. - Figma says it aims to understand the specific needs of Spanish businesses and product teams. ## Figma’s Strong Presence in Spain - Nearly half of Spain’s IBEX 35 companies use Figma, including: - Amadeus - Banco Sabadell - Cabify - SEAT - Repsol - Telefonica - Spanish users created more than 1.5 million Figma files in 2024. - Nearly 34,000 files are edited daily across the country. - The Barcelona Friends of Figma community has more than 2,000 active members, making it Figma’s largest community chapter. ## Benefits for Spanish Teams - Companies such as Telefonica and Cabify expect the Spanish interface to improve collaboration and make Figma more accessible. - Localization is intended to help designers, developers, and broader product teams communicate and work more efficiently. - The effort supports Figma’s shift toward serving the entire product development process, not only traditional design roles. ## Part of Figma’s Global Expansion - About 85% of Figma’s monthly active users are outside the United States. - Approximately half of its revenue comes from non-U.S. markets. - Around one-third of users identify as developers, while nearly two-thirds work outside traditional design roles. - Spanish localization arrives alongside Figma’s expanding product ecosystem, including: - FigJam, launched in 2021 - Dev Mode, launched in 2023 - Figma Slides, launched in 2024 - New AI capabilities and other product development tools Figma’s Spanish launch is both a response to Spain’s established user community and a broader investment in international growth. By combining language support with localized product experiences, Figma aims to reduce barriers for Spanish teams while preparing to add more languages throughout the year.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaFigjamProduct DesignDev Mode+4
figma3 min readCurated summary

Everything You Need to Know About Figma for Government | Figma Blog

Figma for Government is now FedRAMP Moderate certified, allowing U.S. federal agencies to use Figma’s collaboration and design tools in a secure, privacy-focused environment. The platform is intended to help agencies replace siloed workflows with a shared process spanning ideation, design, prototyping, and development. Figma argues that improving how digital services are built is essential to creating more accessible, consistent, and effective experiences for citizens. ## FedRAMP Certification and Product Availability - Figma for Government meets the federal government’s security and privacy requirements at the Moderate level. - The offering includes: - Figma Design - FigJam - Dev Mode - Figma Slides, planned for a future release - The certification builds on Figma’s earlier commitment to achieving FedRAMP status. ## Why Figma Built a Government Offering - Government agencies increasingly need to provide healthcare, assistance, and other services through seamless digital experiences. - Federal digital-first policies emphasize accessibility, consistency, and ease of use. - Siloed tools and disconnected teams can reduce efficiency and produce less usable products. - Figma for Government aims to give agencies secure access to the same collaborative workflows used by leading private-sector organizations. ## Government Use Cases and Examples - More than 100 government agencies and contractors already use Figma to modernize their processes. - Examples include: - The National Park Service creating an app for 431 parks and monuments. - Amtrak streamlining systems for more than 20,000 employees and 28 million passengers. - Agencies working on passport, visa, taxpayer, and citizenship services. - The official United States Web Design System design kit contains 42 components built with variables and smart layouts. - A shared Figma link gives teams a common source of truth for viewing, editing, and commenting on work. ## Collaborative Planning with FigJam - FigJam supports real-time and asynchronous collaboration for distributed teams. - Agencies can use it to: - Brainstorm ideas - Build project roadmaps - Map user journeys - Align stakeholders around strategy - Keeping planning materials in one shared workspace helps teams communicate across locations and time zones. ## Design Alignment with Figma - Designers, developers, product managers, executives, and other stakeholders can access the latest design files. - Teams can move efficiently from wireframes to prototypes, reviews, and refinements. - Shared feedback reduces delays and keeps everyone aligned on design direction. - Design systems help agencies maintain consistency, quality, and recognizable brand identities. ## Connecting Design and Development with Dev Mode - Dev Mode provides a shared space for designers and engineers. - It is designed to reduce misunderstandings about design intent, changes between iterations, and how designs map to code. - By connecting design and development workflows, agencies can reduce clarification work and move products toward implementation more efficiently. Figma for Government is best suited to agencies seeking a secure, centralized environment for collaborative digital-service development—from early planning through engineering handoff and implementation.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaDesign SystemsPrototypingFigjam+4
figma2 min readCurated summary

Making the Move to UI3: A Guide to Figma’s Next Chapter | Figma Blog

Figma will retire UI2 on April 30, 2025, making UI3 the standard interface. The redesign prioritizes canvas space, streamlines workflows, and enables features that will only be available in UI3, ahead of Config. Although users may need time to rebuild muscle memory, Figma argues that the changes ultimately make the product more intuitive and efficient. ## UI3 Becomes the New Standard - Figma is ending support for UI2 on April 30. - New features and experiences planned around Config will be available only in UI3. - Figma says it has incorporated user feedback before the full transition. - Recent refinements include: - Replacing the redundant “Reset others” icon - Simplifying boolean-operation labels - Removing duplicate actions from the overflow menu - Updating the mask icon for clarity - Restoring a tidy-up experience closer to UI2 - After the transition, the Properties panel will become a major focus for further improvements. ## Adjusting to the Redesigned Interface - The author initially hesitated because established workflows and muscle memory make interface changes difficult. - After using UI3, they found the redesign more effective rather than merely different. - Reported adjustment times vary: - Some users adapted within a few hours. - Others needed about a week to rebuild muscle memory. - The overall response presented in the article is that UI3 quickly becomes familiar and comfortable. ## Smart Eyedropper Selection - The eyedropper shortcut remains **I**, but the tool now understands more than raw color values. - It stays active while inspecting the canvas and supports switching between color models such as: - Hex - HSB - RGB - When hovering over a color, style, or variable, Figma can identify and display the underlying style or variable instead of only showing a hexadecimal value. - UI3 also allows users to create variables directly where they are working, reducing interruptions to the design workflow. UI3 is positioned as a necessary transition rather than an optional visual refresh. Users should begin adapting before April 30, while taking advantage of its improved variable handling, streamlined controls, and more canvas-focused layout.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaDesign SystemsPrototypingUser Interface+1
figma2 min readCurated summary

How Teams Tap Into the Power of Design with Figma Slides | Figma Blog

Figma Slides has moved out of open beta with new features designed to combine presentation simplicity with Figma’s high-fidelity design and collaboration capabilities. The platform aims to help designers and cross-functional teams create polished, brand-consistent decks while giving them more control over storytelling and presentation workflows. ## Figma Slides Leaves Open Beta - Available to users with Full, Dev, or Collab seats. - New features include: - Improved video controls, including blur effects, scrubbing, and playback-speed adjustments. - Components for maintaining consistency across brand assets and customer logos. - Object-level slide and fade animations. - `.PPTX` import and export for working with external collaborators. - Existing Figma capabilities—such as auto layout, custom fonts, brand libraries, and embeddable prototypes—are available within the slides experience. - Figma positions Slides as a shared storytelling workspace rather than merely a traditional presentation tool. ## Fine-Tune Designs with Templates and Components - Teams can build decks from templates connected to their existing Figma design systems and brand libraries. - Merkle uses curated templates for UI/UX presentations, research, data visualization, and client-specific work. - Reusable components reduce design decisions and help teams produce higher-quality decks more consistently. - Decagon redesigned its sales deck around its brand identity, using custom visuals, layouts, and an appendix of adaptable slides. - Custom templates let teams tailor presentations to specific customers, priorities, and business goals while preserving brand consistency. ## Control the Narrative - Figma Slides supports audience-specific storytelling by making it easy to rearrange slides and review the full deck in grid view. - The article emphasizes distilling a presentation into a clear central idea rather than adding unnecessary visual elements. - Templates can adapt to different contexts, such as fundraising stages, audiences, products, and founder profiles. - The ideal structure may vary: some decks lead with insights, while others introduce the team early to establish credibility. Figma Slides is best suited to teams that want presentation speed without giving up design precision. Its combination of reusable systems, collaborative editing, flexible storytelling, and `.PPTX` compatibility makes it a practical option for internal reviews, sales presentations, and client-facing decks.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaDesign SystemsUser ExperienceCollaboration+3
figma2 min readCurated summary

Karri Saarinen: 10 Rules for Crafting Products That Stand Out | Figma Blog

Linear CEO Karri Saarinen argues that exceptional products stand out through deliberate craft, not merely speed or feature delivery. Quality must be embedded in leadership, team structure, collaboration, and product decisions. The goal is not perfection, but a consistently high quality bar that earns users’ attention and trust. ## Quality Starts with Leadership - Leaders must explicitly prioritize craft and create the conditions for teams to pursue it. - Declaring quality important is insufficient; companies need to explain how it supports the business. - Design can make complex products more approachable, as Saarinen observed at Coinbase. ## Build Small, High-Quality Teams - Smaller teams reduce excessive debate and preserve execution quality. - Hire people who already demonstrate strong craft rather than focusing only on measuring output. - High standards should be established through the quality of the team’s work. ## Eliminate Handoffs - Product managers, designers, and engineers should share responsibility instead of working in isolated stages. - Removing “handoff to development” prevents teams from treating quality as someone else’s responsibility. - Understanding implementation constraints helps everyone contribute to the final result. ## Avoid Rigid Product Silos - Too many specialized teams can create inconsistent quality and fragmented cultures. - Rotating responsibilities keeps ideas fresh and prevents teams from becoming narrowly focused. - Users care about the overall product experience, not the organization chart. ## Treat the Specification as the Starting Point - Meeting requirements is only the minimum standard, not the definition of a great product. - Teams should add care and judgment beyond what the specification explicitly demands. - Craft is what turns a technically functional product into a memorable one. ## Quality Is Not Perfection - Products should pass a clear quality bar before reaching customers, even if they are not flawless. - Beta users can help teams iterate from a solid initial release toward greater polish. - Defects are measurable, but excellence is often judged qualitatively through user perception and organic praise. ## Design with Strong Opinions - Products work best when designed for a specific audience and purpose. - Flexible products that serve everyone moderately well often fail to excel at anything. - A clear point of view strengthens the product’s value proposition and helps earn user trust. The practical recommendation is to make quality a company-wide operating principle: hire carefully, keep teams connected, exceed the basic specification, and design decisively for a particular user.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaUser ExperienceProduct DesignSoftware Development+2
figma3 min readCurated summary

Dylan Field and Garry Tan on design, AI, and the power of “locking in” | Figma Blog

AI is expanding what designers and product builders can explore, but it has not eliminated the need for human judgment, context, or craft. Dylan Field argues that design will become even more important as teams use AI to generate ideas and prototypes faster, while still needing expertise to turn them into thoughtful, polished products. The central challenge is closing the gap between making something work and making it work well. ## AI Expands the Design “Idea Maze” - Current AI systems primarily function as tools that augment people in specific tasks, rather than as general intelligence. - They lower the barrier to participating in design while also raising the ceiling on what experienced creators can accomplish. - AI allows teams to explore more branches of an “idea maze,” generating greater breadth during ideation. - However, meaningful progress still requires depth: teams must investigate, refine, and evaluate promising directions. ## The Value of Rapid Feedback and “Vibe Coding” - Terms such as “getting locked in,” “I’m cooking,” and “vibe coding” describe the flow state created by rapid experimentation. - Faster feedback loops help people move ideas from their heads onto the screen more fluidly. - Figma’s emphasis on play reflects the goal of making creative expression accessible and enjoyable, even for non-experts. - AI tools are increasingly effective at helping users start and prototype quickly. - The unresolved problem is helping users move from an exciting prototype to a finished, reliable product—an issue shared by both design and code-generation tools. ## Design Is More Than Functionality - Founders and teams increasingly recognize design as a source of product value. - The important question is no longer only whether software works, but how it works. - User experience, clarity, quality, and the overall interaction determine whether a product feels successful. ## Why Human Designers Still Matter - AI has developed along partly separate tracks: diffusion models address visual creation, while language models focus on reasoning and code generation. - It remains unclear how effectively these approaches can be combined into systems capable of true design. - Field describes design as “art as it applies to problem solving,” requiring more than producing an image or implementing a short specification. - Designers contribute context involving culture, brand, product experience, and the broader problem being addressed. - As software creation becomes more automated, the ability to supply judgment and context may make design an even more critical role. AI is best understood as a force multiplier for exploration and iteration, not a replacement for design expertise. Teams should use it to accelerate experimentation while preserving the human work required to select, shape, and finish products well.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaAILarge Language ModelsSoftware Design+4
figma2 min readCurated summary

How eBay Built a Bridge Between Brand and Product with Figma | Figma Blog

eBay rebuilt its design-system documentation to unite brand, product, accessibility, and engineering guidance in one evolving experience. Its new Evo system is centered on the 300-plus-page Playbook, which replaces scattered, manually maintained files with a centralized source of truth. By making Figma the starting point for content and automating validation and publishing, eBay reduced documentation updates from days to minutes and encouraged teams to treat documentation as part of their normal workflow. ## Rebuilding from the Ground Up - Before Evo, documentation was spread across separate Figma files, developer resources, and accessibility guidelines. - Designers manually updated static files and submitted tickets for changes to be published. - eBay’s OneExperience team chose to rebuild the process internally rather than patch the old system or rely on an external agency. - The goal was a system integrated with everyday design and development work, rather than documentation maintained as a separate task. ## Bringing Brand and Product Together - The new Playbook combines brand guidance, design-system documentation, technology resources, and accessibility information in one destination. - It acts as a centralized source of truth for both internal teams and agency partners. - Component pages include design, development, and accessibility views. - Component availability and implementation status are updated from library metadata instead of manually maintained tables. ## Component Status Across Platforms - eBay created an internal Component Status API to track components across its libraries. - The API records component names, versions, availability, and implementation status across: - Published Figma libraries - Native platform libraries - Open-source web-component libraries - Figma components store relevant metadata in their descriptions. - Developers can verify whether a component exists in their framework, whether it matches the Figma version, and whether the Playbook documentation is current. ## Automating Documentation Updates - eBay built a custom Figma plugin and exporter that powers the documentation workflow. - Components, guidelines, and accessibility notes originate in Figma. - Updates are linted, validated, and published directly from Figma without manual CMS work. - Changes that previously took days can now appear on the Playbook site in under two minutes. - Faster publishing makes documentation easier to iterate on and helps teams view it as a living part of their workflow rather than an administrative burden.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaDesign SystemsAccessibilityAPI+3
figma3 min readCurated summary

From Screen to Zine: Meet the Makers Using Figma for Digital DIY | Figma Blog

Figma is helping a new generation of creators revive zine culture by combining digital speed with the handmade spirit of print. The article highlights designers, musicians, and community organizers using Figma to document underground scenes, produce physical artifacts, and collaborate remotely. Its flexibility, plugins, and collaborative canvas make it especially useful for highly iterative, visually experimental work. ## Figma and the revival of zines - Zines have historically given fringe communities and subcultures a way to publish outside mainstream media. - The article profiles several creators using Figma for digital DIY projects: - Dance Data’s 97-page *Underground Fanzine*, created by Jesse Pimenta and Cheyce Batchelor. - Figma’s AAPI employee resource group, which created *AZINE*. - Dominique Saiegh, who designs cassette and CD packaging. - Sebastián Ortega, who creates assets for online radio station SutroFM. - Tara Ridgedell and Gonzalo Guerrero, who run remote risograph workshops through Secret Riso Club. - These projects use digital tools to build real-world connections and preserve ephemeral music and cultural communities. ## The history and spirit of zine culture - Modern zines began as science-fiction fan magazines in the 1930s and 1940s. - Their history continued through: - Beat-generation small presses in the 1950s and 1960s. - Punk music zines and copy-shop publishing in the 1970s and 1980s. - Riot Grrrl and broader zine culture in the 1990s. - E-zines, blogs, and websites in the 2000s. - A renewed interest in printed zines, festivals, and libraries from the 2010s onward. - Dance Data’s publication deliberately recreates the scrappy, Xerox-inspired aesthetic associated with punk-era zines. - Printing the zine gives readers a lasting physical record of an underground music scene whose parties and collectives are often temporary. ## Designing a 1990s-inspired publication in Figma - Pimenta and Batchelor produced the zine in approximately three months. - Figma’s canvas provided a broad overview of the publication, while Auto Layout helped organize and reorder content efficiently. - Figma’s speed supported an iterative process in which every interview spread could have a distinct visual identity. - Pimenta drew inspiration from rave flyers, computer newsletters, technology magazines, and Archive.org’s *The Magazine Rack*. - The desired aesthetic combined hacker culture, cyberpunk imagery, retro computer graphics, and old-school clip art. ## Plugins for a photocopied, experimental look - **Noise & Texture** added gritty, speckled effects resembling 1990s photocopies. - **Photopea** enabled image manipulation, including noise and threshold filters. - **Skew Skew** distorted typography into irregular shapes that suggested warped Xerox reproductions. - These tools, combined with retro rave references, helped the digital design resemble handmade print work. ## Preparing digital work for print - Pimenta had to export individual pages at four times their intended size, convert them into print-ready PDFs, and then resize the final document. - Exporting was slow because the publication contained thousands of small assets. - The project illustrates both Figma’s usefulness for complex editorial design and the practical challenges of converting a large digital file into a physical zine.

Read original(opens in new tab)
FigmaFigma PluginsGraphic DesignPdf+2