Figjam

98 posts

figmaMar 26, 20252 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.

Figjam Figma Product Design Dev Mode+4

figmaMar 25, 20253 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.

Figjam Figma Design Systems Prototyping+4

figmaJan 8, 20252 min readCurated summary

It’s Time We Expand Our Definition of Design | Figma Blog

Figma argues that design should no longer be viewed as the exclusive domain of professional designers. Marketers, developers, product managers, and other collaborators already make visual and communication decisions every day, but often lack the confidence or tools to do so effectively. Expanding access, simplifying workflows, and changing organizational mindsets can help more people participate meaningfully in design. ## Design Tools as Spaces of Belonging - Figma files can feel intimidating to non-designers, much like entering an unfamiliar gallery or professional critique. - Simply inviting someone into a design tool does not guarantee that they will feel comfortable contributing. - Tools can help create belonging by making collaboration more approachable and welcoming. ## Everyday Work Is Design - The author describes repeatedly creating thumbnails, event invitations, and other assets in marketing, product, and sales roles to avoid design bottlenecks. - These activities involve visual communication, creativity, and decisions about how audiences understand and engage with information. - Products such as FigJam, Dev Mode, and Figma Slides are already helping marketers, developers, and other partners work more confidently. - The larger shift requires organizations and individuals to recognize that design participation is not limited by job title. ## Making Design More Inclusive - Teams can support “everyday designers” through: - Templates that provide a reliable starting point. - Simpler, more accessible tools. - Features for staying on brand and finding approved assets. - Assistance with copy exploration and approval workflows. - Organizations should also educate, validate, and celebrate colleagues who want to improve their design skills. - As work becomes faster and more collaborative, these forms of support become increasingly important. Figma’s broader recommendation is to treat design as a shared organizational practice. By giving non-designers better guidance, accessible tools, and permission to contribute, teams can produce stronger work while helping more people feel that they belong in the design process.

Figjam Figma Design Systems Collaborative Design+2

figmaJan 6, 20252 min readCurated summary

The Best Advice to Bring to Work in 2025 | Figma Blog

The article gathers practical workplace advice from leaders at Ableton, Snapchat, Coda, and other companies. Their principles emphasize finding inspiration beyond familiar sources, automating low-value work, shortening users’ path to meaningful results, designing meetings around clear purposes, and maintaining momentum through difficult work. Together, they argue that effective work depends less on rigid formulas than on experience-based judgment. ## Look Beyond Design for Inspiration - Pablo Sánchez of Ableton recommends drawing ideas from emotions, memories, science, nature, and other fields—not just existing design conventions. - Designing for yourself first can produce work with genuine personal energy that resonates with users. - Ableton’s Note app borrowed from Brutalist architecture rather than traditional music software, creating a stripped-down experience focused on immediacy. ## Automate Work That Gets in the Way - Product managers should focus primarily on understanding customers, delivering value, and enabling sound decisions—not perfecting internal artifacts. - When documentation, reviews, or OKRs consume as much time as product development, teams should delegate or automate them. - Peter Yang uses AI to synthesize brainstorms, summarize customer feedback, and improve product requirement documents. ## Accelerate Users’ Time to “Magic” - Products should help new users reach their first meaningful “aha moment” quickly instead of overwhelming them with tutorials. - The goal is to move people from following instructions to confidently creating and sharing something of their own. - Snapchat’s Lens Studio team mapped the user journey and reduced the path from download to first submitted project from 19 steps to four milestones. ## Cultivate Different Types of Meetings - Coda’s Shishir Mehrotra distinguishes three meeting categories: - **Cadence meetings:** Regular staff meetings, standups, and syncs that track progress against goals. - **Catalyst meetings:** Decision-making forums, product reviews, and design critiques that resolve questions and drive change. - **Context meetings:** All-hands meetings, off-sites, and orientations that share information, establish context, and build connections. - Teams need a healthy balance, since too many catalyst meetings can cause burnout. ## Keep Moving Through Difficult Work - Dan Mall compares difficult progress to the tedious parts of training that are usually omitted from an exciting montage. - His advice is to build momentum to counteract the discouragement and monotony that can accompany worthwhile goals. The broader recommendation is to focus attention on meaningful outcomes: use unconventional sources of inspiration, remove unnecessary effort, guide users quickly toward value, give meetings a clear purpose, and keep building momentum when progress feels slow.

Figjam Figma AI Design Systems+3

figmaDec 16, 20242 min readCurated summary

27 FigJam Activities to Spark Creativity in the Classroom | Figma Blog

FigJam’s collaborative canvas can make classroom participation more inclusive, creative, and engaging across subjects. The post presents 27 adaptable activities that use sticky notes, drawings, widgets, and shared templates to support community-building, discussion, problem-solving, creative breaks, and assessment. Its central conclusion is that familiar teaching activities become more interactive when students can contribute visually and collaboratively. ## Building Classroom Community - Icebreakers help students share interests, personalities, hobbies, dreams, and favorite subjects. - “Let me introduce myself” activities use sticky notes, stickers, and sketches. - Scavenger hunts prompt students to find classmates with shared experiences or interests. - A virtual “shoe rack” lets students express their individuality creatively. - FigJam tools such as drawing, voice recordings, and photobooths give students multiple ways to participate and connect. ## Making Language and History Come Alive - Shared canvases turn reading and historical analysis into group activities rather than isolated assignments. - Students can visualize character relationships, track plot developments, and discuss themes together. - Templates such as book chats support collaborative literary discussion. - History activities can encourage students to debate perspectives and investigate events collectively. ## Visualizing STEM Concepts - FigJam activities help students represent abstract scientific, mathematical, and technical ideas visually. - Collaborative diagrams, notes, and sketches can support group problem-solving. - The flexible canvas allows teachers to adapt activities for different subjects and grade levels. ## Taking Creative Brain Breaks - Short, playful FigJam exercises can reenergize students between lessons. - Drawing, visual prompts, and collaborative challenges provide a creative change of pace. - These breaks maintain engagement while still encouraging communication and imagination. ## Checking Understanding Together - Teachers can use shared templates to see how students are processing a lesson. - Students can contribute answers, questions, reflections, and visual explanations in one collaborative space. - Group responses make misconceptions easier to identify and create opportunities for peer discussion. Overall, the post recommends using FigJam as a flexible classroom workspace rather than limiting it to presentations. Its free education access and adaptable templates make it suitable for teachers who want more inclusive, participatory learning activities.

Figjam Figma Visual Collaboration Educational Technology+1

figmaDec 9, 20242 min readCurated summary

Updates to our pricing, seats, and billing experience | Figma Blog

Figma announced changes to pricing, seat types, and billing workflows taking effect March 11, 2025. The company is raising prices for Figma Design, consolidating seat management, and giving administrators advance approval over paid seat upgrades. The changes are intended to improve billing visibility while allowing users temporary access during approval. ## New Pricing and Seat Structure - Figma Design prices will increase, with changes applying to Full seats. - Existing plans will transition to four seat types: - Full - Dev - Collab - View - Paid seats will include access to FigJam and Figma Slides. - The free Starter plan will remain available. ## Admin Approval for Seat Upgrades - Previously, users could trigger seat upgrades and admins reviewed them afterward. - Under the new model, paid seat upgrades will require admin approval by default. - Admins will manage one seat per user rather than separate seats for each product. - Users can temporarily access the requested seat for up to three days while approval is pending. - During this period, they can create files and edit files where collaborators have granted edit access. - Approved seats will appear on the next invoice, prorated from the approval date through the end of the subscription period. ## Migration and Timing - Existing plans will migrate to the new seat structure and approval workflows beginning March 11, 2025. - Full-seat price increases and updated proration rules will apply at the first renewal on or after that date. - Figma says existing customers will receive additional details by email. ## Connected Projects for Freelancers and Agencies - The billing changes prepare the way for Connected Projects, planned for later in 2025. - Freelancers and agencies will be able to collaborate with clients using their existing seats. - This is intended to eliminate the need to purchase licenses across multiple plans for client collaboration. Organizations should review their seat assignments and establish an approval process before the March 2025 migration.

Figjam Figma Auto Layout Figma Slides+3

figmaJun 25, 20242 min readCurated summary

Stack the deck with Figma Slides | Figma Blog

Figma Slides is introduced as an open-beta presentation tool combining Figma’s high-fidelity design capabilities with FigJam’s collaborative feedback features. It aims to help designers and non-designers create more engaging presentations without exporting work into separate tools. Figma positions it as a way to turn product reviews, sales decks, and pitches into clearer visual stories and collaborative conversations. ## Why Figma Built Slides - Presenters commonly struggle with: - Designing creative layouts - Finding effective visuals - Spending more than eight hours creating a deck - Figma users created approximately 3.5 million presentations in the previous year. - Designers often had to move Figma work into other presentation tools or distribute prototypes and pre-reads to non-designers. - Figma Slides brings presentation creation into the same environment as design and collaboration. ## High-Fidelity Design Features - Slides includes core presentation features such as: - Speaker notes - Slide transitions - Presentation-focused editing tools - Design mode provides access to Figma Design capabilities, including: - Auto Layout - Advanced properties - Precise alignment and snapping - Interactive components and states - Interactive components, such as hover states, can remain functional during presentations. ## Shared Libraries and Assets - Existing Figma text styles, color styles, and design assets are available directly in Slides. - Designers can reuse established libraries instead of recreating presentation elements. - Copy-and-paste workflows work across Figma products, reducing the need to export interface designs individually. ## Grid View for Structuring Narratives - Users can edit individual slides or switch to grid view for an overview of the entire deck. - Grid view organizes slides into rows, making it easier to: - Rearrange sections - Review the overall story - Refine the narrative arc - This bird’s-eye perspective is particularly useful for long presentations where restructuring becomes difficult. ## From Presentations to Conversations - Figma’s experience with FigJam revealed the limitations of one-way presentations. - FigJam became a regular tool for meetings such as team kickoffs, bug bashes, executive reviews, all-hands meetings, and Q&A sessions. - Figma Slides is intended to combine polished visual storytelling with collaborative participation, helping more people contribute to and influence the discussion. Figma Slides’ central promise is to make presentations both visually sophisticated and easier to build collaboratively, allowing teams to design, organize, and discuss their ideas in one shared space.

Figjam Figma User Experience Design Collaboration+3

figmaJun 25, 20242 min readCurated summary

Making Figma Work Better for Freelancers and Agencies | Figma Blog

Figma is revising its billing model to better support freelancers and agencies that work across multiple clients. The company acknowledges that its organization-focused plans create licensing and administrative overhead, and proposes connected workspaces, easier project transfers, and stronger billing controls. These changes aim to make external collaboration easier while reducing unexpected seat charges. ## Connected Workspaces for External Collaboration - Figma is developing connected workspaces that link separate Figma accounts. - Freelancers and agencies will be able to collaborate with clients and co-edit files using their existing seats. - The feature is expected to roll out early the following year, reducing the need for multiple licenses. ## Easier Project Transfers Figma plans to improve transferring work between accounts and plans so freelancers can hand projects to clients with less friction. - Users will be able to transfer a copy while retaining the original. - Collaborators can be removed during transfer to prevent accidental paid-seat upgrades. - Work can be transferred across Professional, Organization, and Enterprise plans. - These improvements went live on August 20. ## More Visibility and Control Over Billing Figma’s browser-based collaboration model lets users begin editing immediately, but it can leave admins responsible for remembering to downgrade seats after a project ends. - Admins can enable daily, weekly, or monthly notifications showing who upgraded and what action caused the upgrade. - New accounts receive these notifications by default: - Weekly on Professional plans - Monthly on Organization and Enterprise plans - Admins can set new users’ default role to “viewer-restricted,” requiring explicit approval before they receive a paid seat. - Figma says broader billing-architecture improvements are still underway. Figma’s immediate tools help admins monitor and approve seat changes, while connected workspaces and improved transfers address the larger structural challenges freelancers and agencies face.

Figjam Figma Collaboration Figma Design+1

figmaApr 9, 20243 min readCurated summary

The Anatomy of a Component Sprint | Figma Blog

The Washington Post’s design system team developed a roughly 10-day “component sprint” to replace siloed, linear workflows with continuous designer–developer collaboration. Each component is jointly planned, designed, implemented, refined, and documented, with input from the wider team throughout. The process aims to reduce miscommunication, uncover technical constraints early, and create components that serve real product needs. ## Why the Component Sprint Was Needed - The Washington Post launched its design system in 2019 to help teams deliver news experiences quickly and consistently. - Earlier components followed either: - A design-led process for inputs such as selects, radios, and checkboxes. - A developer-led process for technically complex components such as carousels and search inputs. - Both approaches caused delays, unexpected compromises, and gaps in communication. - Designers sometimes overlooked existing components or pursued custom solutions, creating overrides and last-minute requests for new variants. - Developers could be forced to focus on visual details instead of solving technical and product problems. - The new process brings the relevant people together early and gives designers and developers shared ownership. ## Sprint Structure and Shared Ownership - A designer and developer from the core design system team lead each component from beginning to end. - Every planned component receives its own sprint, although the timeline can vary. - The approximately 10-day process is intentionally open and inclusive rather than closed and sequential. - The wider team contributes feedback and expertise at multiple stages. ## Kickoff: Balancing Impact and Effort - The team holds a weekly 30-minute meeting to evaluate candidate component tickets in Jira. - Ideas are prioritized according to potential impact and required effort. - Jira tickets serve as shared, evolving spaces where stakeholders can: - Leave feedback asynchronously. - Record insights from Slack discussions. - Group related ideas. - Connect proposals to business goals. - An impact-versus-effort matrix visualizes priorities: - Larger circles represent ideas with more votes. - Numbers identify clusters of related ideas. - Colors indicate associated business goals. - Once a ticket is prioritized, a designer and developer are assigned to lead delivery. ## Concept: Defining Scope and Goals - The sprint begins with a two-hour meeting involving the wider team. - In a FigJam file, participants: - Define the component’s goals. - Agree on requirements. - Assess the scope of work. - Clarify assumptions and technical needs. - The meeting reserves the final 15 minutes for review. - Using FigJam enables both technical and non-technical contributors to participate. - The team focuses first on shared expectations and requirements, avoiding premature debate over detailed visual design. The component sprint provides a practical framework for building design-system components collaboratively: prioritize openly, pair design and development from the start, and establish scope with broad input before implementation begins.

Figjam Figma Design Systems Slack+3

figmaApr 3, 20242 min readCurated summary

Surf the web like it’s 1999 with these old-school cursors | Figma Blog

Figma’s 2024 April Fun Day celebrated the history of digital design through four temporary cursor styles: 8-bit, Y2K, Skeuomorphic, and Aero. The initiative treats cursors as more than interface tools—they are avatars that express personality and enable collaboration through chat, emotes, and high fives. Users could activate the nostalgic cursors in any Figma or FigJam file by selecting the cursor icon. ## Cursors as collaborative avatars - In multiplayer Figma and FigJam files, cursors show where collaborators are working. - They also support social interaction through: - Cursor chat - Emotes - High fives - Figma describes cursors as a way for people to see and relate to one another through screens. ## 8-bit: Pixel nostalgia - The 8-bit style draws on early web design, text-based terminals, arcade games, and operating systems before modern graphical interfaces. - Its influences include: - Pac-Man and Space Invaders - DOS computers - Windows 2000 - Classic Mac and early GUI design - The cursors use deliberately low resolution and pronounced pixel grids. - Familiar icons such as pointing hands and pencils were redesigned with a friendly, elementary appearance. - Designers associated the style with tactile interfaces, expressive icons, and memories of discovering graphical operating systems. - The aesthetic was developed by “dialing back” resolution to make the pixels and blocky forms visually prominent. ## Four digital eras revisited - Figma’s temporary cursor collection was inspired by: - **8-bit:** Early computers, arcade games, and pixel graphics - **Y2K:** The turn-of-the-millennium internet and pop culture - **Skeuomorphic:** Real-world textures and tactile interface elements - **Aero:** Glossy, translucent visual design associated with Windows Vista - The project combines product interaction with nostalgia for earlier eras of computing and the web. The collection was intended as a playful, limited-time way to personalize collaboration in Figma and FigJam while revisiting the visual languages of earlier digital design.

Figjam Figma Macos Gui+2

figmaFeb 28, 20243 min readCurated summary

How We Engineer Feedback at Figma with Eng Crits | Figma Blog

Figma’s engineering critiques (“eng crits”) are designed to gather feedback early, before technical decisions become expensive to change. Unlike formal technical reviews, they are collaborative forums for exploration, brainstorming, and expert input—not approval gates. Figma found that using FigJam’s open canvas made it easier for many engineers to contribute and helped teams avoid late-stage, launch-blocking feedback. ## Why Early Feedback Matters - Engineers are encouraged to share in-progress work, including unpolished ideas and early technical directions. - Traditional technical reviews often happen after a design has already been developed, making feedback potentially disruptive or launch-blocking. - Eng crits occupy a middle ground between informal design critiques and formal technical reviews. - Their purpose is to help teams: - Explore novel approaches - Get expert feedback on technical designs - Unblock projects - Improve work through discussion rather than approval ## “Lifting Ideas Up” as Teams Scale - Early-stage teams often share ownership of both the overall architecture and its implementation. - As teams grow, newer contributors may be limited to executing established plans rather than shaping them. - Eng crits create a way for more people to contribute without undermining the original direction. - Figma CTO Kris Rasmussen emphasizes that eng crits are for soliciting feedback early and often, not for deciding whether work is approved. ## Why Format Matters - Synchronous technical reviews tended to focus discussion on a few team leads. - Asynchronous reviews often produced long, disconnected comment threads rather than meaningful conversations. - Figma drew inspiration from brainstorms and retrospectives conducted in FigJam. - FigJam enabled participants to: - Contribute simultaneously - Share early thinking and inspiration - Add screenshots of unfinished work - Provide context and prompts - Offer feedback without waiting for a single presenter or responding through fragmented threads ## Scaling the Practice - Figma initially piloted eng crits with teams of roughly eight to ten people. - The collaborative format quickly gained support and was turned into a repeatable process. - Calendar invitations were later opened to a much broader audience, eventually attracting more than 200 participants. - Engineers were encouraged to join when they had relevant expertise or curiosity, rather than treating attendance as mandatory. ## Anatomy of an Eng Crit - Figma sends invitations to all engineers working on the editor. - Invitees are marked as optional so they can participate when a topic is relevant or opt out when it is not. - Cross-functional collaborators may also attend. - Participation is driven by relevance and interest, rather than by a formal approval hierarchy. Figma’s experience suggests that technical feedback works best when it is early, inclusive, and explicitly separated from approval. Teams can adopt a similar model by using a shared visual workspace, inviting contributors broadly, and framing reviews as opportunities to improve ideas rather than gates that determine whether work may proceed.

Figjam Figma Engineering Critiques Technical Design+1

figmaFeb 12, 20243 min readCurated summary

The Anatomy of a Super Bowl Ad | Figma Blog

Duolingo’s five-second Super Bowl ad succeeded by turning a severe budget constraint into a creative advantage. Its deliberately absurd “unhinged Duo” gag, paired with a real lesson reminder, was designed to create a memorable WTF moment and generate conversation beyond the broadcast. The campaign depended on close coordination between marketing, engineering, and the brand studio. ## Aiming for Culture and Conversation - Duolingo saw the Super Bowl as a chance to reach the year’s largest live U.S. audience. - The goal was not merely exposure, but earned media, virality, and word-of-mouth. - Previous data showed that major broadcasts could drive language-learning activity: - Users completed lessons during Eurovision breaks. - A prior Super Bowl push notification produced the app’s highest engagement. - The team decided to make the ad itself function as a lesson reminder. ## Turning a Budget Constraint into a Format - A 30-second Super Bowl commercial cost about $7 million on average in 2023. - Rather than compete with longer, more expensive ads, Duolingo pursued a five-second spot. - The team looked to short ads such as Reddit’s 2021 commercial as examples of compact ideas that could expand through social media. - The intended result was tens of millions of social impressions generated by a highly shareable moment. ## Designing the “WTF Moment” - The ad featured Duo sitting in a white frame before turning around and revealing an exaggerated, balloon-like backside. - A second Duo emerged with a flatulent sound, followed by the message “Do your Duolingo.” - Simultaneously, users received a push notification reminding them to complete a lesson. - The crude humor built on Duo’s existing reputation as both wholesome and “unhinged,” matching the brand’s relationship with its online community. ## Cross-Functional Brainstorming - The first of three brainstorming sessions began in September after the ad slot was secured. - The brief asked: “How do we hack and own the Super Bowl conversation in 5 seconds?” - Marketing, engineering, and brand teams divided into breakout groups and developed concepts in FigJam. - Ideas were evaluated for whether they would: - Produce a strong reaction and social buzz - Fit Duolingo’s tone and strengthen the brand - Support additional campaign content - Demonstrate Duolingo’s product capabilities - Groups nominated their best ideas, and the wider team voted on them using FigJam stickers. ## Aligning on a Big Idea - One brainstorm was not enough to reach agreement. - The teams reconvened in another FigJam session to evaluate concepts through different strategic approaches, including ways to exploit the five-second television format. - The eventual campaign required several weeks of synchronized work across creative, marketing, engineering, and design. Duolingo’s approach demonstrates how a sharply defined constraint can produce stronger creative work. A short, distinctive concept—when aligned with existing brand behavior, product functionality, and coordinated distribution—can outperform a conventional expensive commercial.

Figjam Mobile App Brainstorming Push Notifications+2

figmaDec 17, 20232 min readCurated summary

Figma and Adobe are abandoning our proposed merger | Figma Blog

Figma and Adobe jointly ended their proposed acquisition after 15 months of regulatory review, concluding that approval was no longer achievable. Although the merger was intended to accelerate both companies’ impact, Figma will remain independent and explore future partnerships with Adobe. CEO Dylan Field framed the decision as a renewed opportunity to pursue Figma’s original mission: helping people turn ideas into digital products. ## Why the Merger Was Abandoned - The companies spent thousands of hours addressing regulators’ concerns worldwide. - Despite explaining the differences between their businesses, products, and markets, they no longer saw a viable path to approval. - The decision was made jointly, ending the pending acquisition. ## Figma’s Progress During the Review - Figma continued shipping products despite the uncertainty surrounding the acquisition, including: - Native AI features for FigJam - Dev Mode for improving the handoff between designers and developers - Variables - Advanced prototyping - The company also: - Opened new hubs in the United Kingdom and Asia - Hosted Config 2023 in San Francisco - Acquired AI startup Diagram - Added more than 500 employees ## Figma’s Independent Direction - Figma will continue operating as an independent company. - The company remains focused on eliminating the gap between imagination and reality. - Field sees the growth of the digital economy and advances in AI as making this mission more urgent and attainable. - Figma aims to support the entire product-development process on a single multiplayer canvas, from ideation through production. Figma’s practical next step is to maintain its independent momentum, deepen its design-to-development platform, and use AI and collaboration tools to help more people build digital products.

Figjam Figma AI Prototyping+4

figmaDec 10, 20232 min readCurated summary

The Long and Short of It: Issue no.2 | Figma Blog

Figma’s “Rework your work” issue presents small improvements, AI, prototyping, and community creativity as ways to challenge outdated workflows. Its central argument is that meaningful progress often comes from improving everyday experiences while adopting tools and practices that expand what teams can accomplish. ## Small Improvements, Significant Impact - Product quality-of-life changes can have more impact than flashy features users rarely use. - Sho Kuwamoto argues that frequent, practical improvements—such as saving time or anticipating user needs—are foundational to a strong product experience. - Figma’s “Little Big Updates” emphasizes that subtle changes can create broad effects. ## Breaking Barriers with AI - FigJam’s generative AI features are designed to lower the barrier to visual collaboration while expanding creative possibilities. - AI can: - Generate custom templates and diagrams - Summarize board content - Sort sticky notes - These capabilities help product teams plan, synchronize, and brainstorm more efficiently. - The goal is not only automation, but making collaborative tools accessible to more people. ## Prototyping as a Core Practice - Prototyping is presented as an essential part of product development rather than a final presentation step. - Prototypes make design ideas tangible so collaborators can explore, critique, and refine them. - A strong prototyping culture gives designers more agency and helps the broader team gain insight earlier in the process. - Integrating prototypes throughout development can streamline workflows and improve decision-making. ## Supporting Community Creators - Figma’s Creator Fund provides grants for free widgets, plugins, and files created for the Figma Community. - Featured projects include: - Tools for building immersive environments - A design-to-code plugin - A text animation tool - These community-made resources have helped nearly a million people create in Figma. ## Reframing Design Careers - The “Rabbit hole” section encourages designers to focus less on proving their worth and more on letting the quality of their work speak for itself. - Figma cites its State of the Designer report, in which 69% of designers said their job prospects had improved. - Together, these ideas frame design as a field shaped by practical craft, evolving tools, and continued professional momentum. The issue recommends reworking established habits through incremental product improvements, thoughtful AI adoption, continuous prototyping, and support for creative communities.

Figjam Figma Prototyping Generative AI+2

figmaDec 6, 20233 min readCurated summary

Figma’s 2023 Handoff | Figma Blog

2023’s tensions—especially between rapid AI adoption and renewed human connection—reinforced Figma’s belief that collaboration is essential. The company frames its year-end “Handoff” as a reflection on how teams can work together more continuously, rather than treating work as a series of disconnected transfers. Its major launches, including Dev Mode and FigJam AI, are presented as tools for reducing barriers and making collaboration more inclusive and iterative. ## A Year Defined by AI and Human Connection - 2023 was characterized both by AI’s rapid expansion and by people reconnecting after the pandemic. - Figma argues that these developments are not necessarily contradictory: technology can support more meaningful human collaboration. - The company emphasizes that people need one another to interpret challenges and understand the world around them. ## Reimagining the Handoff - In American football, a handoff is a coordinated pass between teammates; in product development, it has often meant throwing work “over the wall.” - Designers and developers traditionally work from different perspectives, despite being deeply dependent on each other. - Figma advocates for “multiplayer” work: shared spaces where people can solve problems together and understand one another’s needs. - A successful handoff should be an ongoing conversation, enabling faster iteration and better products. ## Dev Mode and Developer Collaboration - Figma launched **Dev Mode** to provide developers with a developer-focused view of design files. - The feature is intended to give developers the information and tools they need at the appropriate stage of the workflow. - Figma describes Dev Mode as a way to eliminate the traditional handoff barrier and make design-development collaboration more continuous. ## AI as a Collaborator - Figma’s new AI features in **FigJam** are designed to accelerate ideation. - The goal is not to replace human interaction, but to make meetings and collaborative moments more productive and meaningful. - Figma connects this approach to “lowering the floor and raising the ceiling”: making products more accessible while expanding what experienced users can accomplish. ## The 2023 Handoff Collection The article introduces several additional reflections and features from Figma’s year, including: - The year’s top ten product launches - How product managers brought AI features to market - Questions for rediscovering enthusiasm for technology - Guidance for more effective meetings - New workplace vocabulary - Professional career pivots - The enjoyment and culture surrounding mechanical keyboards Figma’s practical conclusion is that strong collaboration requires more than efficient workflows. Teams need shared spaces, continuous dialogue, inclusive tools, and enough practice and collective experience to play to one another’s strengths.

Figjam Figma AI Dev Mode+2