Jamming on FigJam: a journey from beta to GA | Figma Blog

FigJam emerged from Figma’s shift to remote work and the growing need for a shared digital space for collaboration and connection. Figma launched it in beta to avoid perfectionism, learn quickly from users, and balance immediate needs with a longer-term product vision. Its path from inception to general availability was driven by cross-functional teamwork, rapid decisions, and continuous user feedback.

A Collaborative Product Culture

• Product Manager Emily Lin describes her role as a facilitator rather than a sole decision-maker.
• Figma’s culture encourages ideas and decisions from anyone, with designers, engineers, product, support, sales, and marketing working together.
• This collaborative model was especially important for building Figma’s second product.

Why FigJam Was Created

• As Figma began working remotely, the company saw users using its design tool to connect, brainstorm, socialize, and collaborate beyond traditional design work.
• Figma employees experienced the same need for a digital gathering space during a difficult transition to remote work.
• Because the need was urgent and FigJam became a company-wide priority, teams across Figma contributed to its development.

Using Beta to Avoid Perfectionism

• Building a second product created pressure to match the quality and care associated with Figma.
• The team recognized that trying to perfect every detail could slow development and prevent them from responding to real user needs.
• A beta launch allowed Figma to ship sooner, gather feedback, and iterate while continuing to pursue a broader product direction.

Prioritizing Decisions and Feedback

• The team focused first on questions that could block future decisions, such as how FigJam should relate to Figma and whether it needed to be a separate application.
• Rather than extensively deliberating over every detail, they made decisions, consulted stakeholders, and adjusted based on feedback.
• Hundreds of alpha testers participated through a shared Slack workspace and supplied ongoing insights.
• Requests were divided into launch-critical fixes and fast-follow improvements:
  • Author names on sticky notes were required for the initial launch.
  • A timer could be released after launch as a follow-up feature.

Iterating After the Beta Launch

• After FigJam’s April 2021 beta introduction, product decisions continued to center on solving user problems.
• A panel of users opted into new features and provided proactive feedback.
• Ideas also came from support conversations, Twitter, and internal teams across the company.
• The process emphasized giving active FigJam users the functionality they actually needed rather than following a rigid predetermined roadmap.

The FigJam launch demonstrates the value of shipping an adaptable beta, resolving foundational questions early, and involving users and cross-functional teams throughout development. For products facing uncertainty or time pressure, iterative learning can be more effective than waiting for a perfectly defined first release.