Figma

532 posts

figmaJun 15, 20202 min readCurated summary

Beyond mocks: co-designing journeys, diagrams, and more | Figma Blog

Design is more than producing interface mocks; it also involves shaping customer experiences, processes, culture, and community. Segment’s product design team demonstrates how designers can collaborate with researchers, product managers, engineers, and other colleagues using shared visual artifacts. These co-designing practices create organizational sources of truth, improve decision-making, and strengthen team connections. ## Mapping the Customer Journey with UX Research - A designer and UX researcher mapped Segment’s end-to-end customer experience, from discovery and sign-up through scaled implementation. - The journey was organized around different customer tiers and enriched with analytics. - An interactive prototype included clickable customer stories. - The resulting file became both a reference point for the company and an onboarding resource. ## Diagramming Data Architecture - Designers, researchers, customer success managers, and infrastructure engineers collaborated to visualize how data moves through Segment. - The diagram showed where data is transformed, enriched, and cleaned. - It helped the team identify existing strengths and areas needing improvement. - The artifact became foundational for planning future products and served as another organizational source of truth. ## Retrospecting on the Design System - Segment’s open-source Evergreen design system is used by teams beyond design, making cross-functional feedback especially important. - Designers and engineers held a remote retrospective in Figma using virtual sticky notes. - Participants documented pain points and identified opportunities for improvement. - The exercise informed the following quarter’s OKRs and helped the team co-design a roadmap for Evergreen. ## Building Community Through Collaboration - Co-designing can support social connection as well as product and process work. - For International Women’s Day, remote EPD teammates collaborated in Figma to create personalized appreciation notes for female-identifying colleagues. - The team also adapted the practice for virtual birthday cards and other celebrations. - These activities helped preserve meaningful workplace rituals while working remotely. The article encourages teams to expand co-design beyond product mocks. Shared journeys, diagrams, retrospectives, and collaborative community activities can make complex work visible, align diverse teammates, and create stronger connections.

Figma Design Systems User Experience Prototyping+3

figmaMay 26, 20203 min readCurated summary

The making of Maker Week | Figma Blog

Maker Week is Figma’s twice-yearly company-wide tradition for exploring projects beyond everyday roles. In 2020, the event moved fully online, prompting Figma to prioritize connection, emotional expression, and collaboration over polished results. Its theme, “How to help one another,” shaped both the creative direction and the activities. ## A Company-Wide Creative Tradition - Maker Week is open to everyone, unlike hackathons that typically focus on engineering and design. - Employees pause nonessential meetings and, when possible, interviews to collaborate with people outside their usual teams. - The event is intended to remove day-to-day constraints and encourage experimentation rather than shipping finished products. - Figma continued the tradition because maintaining company culture was especially important during remote work. ## Prioritizing Process Over Output - The 2020 event explicitly discouraged optimizing for productivity or delivering polished work. - The emphasis was on working together, exploring ideas, and creating space for individual circumstances and capacity. - This approach acknowledged the difficulty and uncertainty many employees were experiencing. ## “How to Help One Another” - Earlier Maker Weeks had no central theme beyond making something related to Figma. - The new theme provided a guiding principle while responding to the broader challenges of 2020. - It encouraged projects and interactions centered on support, empathy, and mutual help. ## Designing Space for Vulnerability - Remote work created emotional distance but also offered opportunities for people to share more openly. - Figma’s creative direction aimed to give employees an outlet for whatever they were feeling. - The organizers encouraged vulnerability and treated all emotional responses as valid. ## Mood Characters - Figma created a shared playground file where employees could build “mood characters.” - Characters were assembled from familiar objects found around designers’ home workspaces. - The objects represented the mixed, conflicting, and often confusing emotions of working through a difficult period. - The activity gave everyone a simple way to make and share something, even without the time or energy for a larger project. ## Bringing Maker Week Online - Office-based traditions such as posters, shared breakfasts, and in-person kickoff moments had to be reimagined. - Figma replaced them with digital experiences, including custom Zoom backgrounds. - The company used visual design not only for branding, but also to create energy, delight, and a sense of shared participation remotely. Maker Week’s remote adaptation shows how a company tradition can preserve its purpose by changing its format. By focusing on connection, vulnerability, and low-pressure creativity rather than productivity, Figma made the event relevant to the circumstances of its employees.

Figma Graphic Design Remote Work Zoom

figmaMay 18, 20202 min readCurated summary

Bringing live Figma embeds to your team’s favorite tools | Figma Blog

Figma introduced live embeds for private design files, allowing teams to view current designs directly inside tools such as Notion, Dropbox Paper, Jira, Trello, Coda, and internal documentation sites. The feature addresses the friction caused by designers and developers working across separate tools, replacing outdated screenshots with embeds that update automatically. Figma’s broader goal is to keep designs available in context throughout product planning, development, and documentation. ## Private Embeds Improve Cross-Functional Collaboration - Previously, Figma embeds supported public files, but many teams needed to keep designs private. - Private embeds let authorized teammates view organizational files without leaving their existing workflows. - Embedded files provide context during handoff and reduce the effort of locating and maintaining the latest design version. - Unlike screenshots, live embeds automatically reflect design changes. ## Product Specs and Requirements - Teams can embed designs, prototypes, user journeys, and idea boards alongside product briefs and roadmaps. - Developers can review requirements and the corresponding designs in tools such as Coda, Notion, and Dropbox Paper. - Figma highlighted reusable Coda templates for product requirements and roadmaps. - Keeping designs inside specifications helps ensure that concepts and prototypes remain current. ## Project and Task Management - Embedding designs in Jira issues and Trello cards keeps design and development work connected. - Product teams can reference current designs while planning work, managing sprints, triaging requests, and tracking tasks. - Figma provides integrations through the Figma for Jira app and Figma for Trello power-up. ## Documentation and Internal References - Teams can include private Figma files in documentation systems such as Storybook and internal knowledge sites. - The Figma Live Embed Kit enables organizations to add private embeds to custom documentation platforms. - Embedded designs serve as an up-to-date reference and help establish a single source of truth for UI standards and product behavior. - Prototype embeds also respect settings that hide the Figma toolbar and footer, which is useful for user-testing tools such as Maze. Figma recommends trying private embeds in existing workflows and encourages users to request support for additional tools. The practical takeaway is to embed live Figma files wherever design context is needed, rather than relying on manually maintained screenshots.

Figma Jira Storybook Notion+4

figmaMay 12, 20202 min readCurated summary

Finding design inspiration at home | Figma Blog

Figma designers argue that creative inspiration can come from ordinary activities, personal memories, online communities, and fields far removed from design. During periods of isolation or creative fatigue, making things, exploring unfamiliar subjects, and connecting with others can be more productive than forcing ideas. The central recommendation is to broaden creative inputs while avoiding direct imitation. ## Less Thinking, More Doing - Overthinking can drain creative energy, especially when work continues during stressful periods. - Trying a new hobby or skill can break the cycle: - Remilla Ty finds inspiration in collecting plants, rearranging furniture, drawing, and writing. - Rasmus Andersson explores computer science, music, and games. - Joyful side projects, such as turning drawings into stickers, can provide a creative boost without the pressure of professional work. ## Finding a Virtual Escape - Travel, museums, architecture, and live music may be unavailable, but memories can provide a substitute source of inspiration. - Creative director Tori Hinn revisits photographs in her camera roll to reconnect with past experiences and regain energy. - Looking through personal archives can offer perspective and stimulate new ideas. ## Leaning on Online Communities - Designers are using social media, Figma Community, articles, videos, and collaborative platforms to stay connected and inspired. - Katherine Frazer recommends Are.na because users can openly contribute to shared collections. - Rasmus Andersson follows curated sources such as Archillect on Twitter. - Noah Levin uses Twitter organically, following interesting designers and discovering more through their networks. - Online communities can replace some of the creative exchange normally found in physical spaces. ## Going Beyond Design - Inspiration becomes stronger when it comes from areas unlike design because the mind must create connections between unfamiliar concepts and visual ideas. - Tori draws from music and movies, while Remilla looks to innovation-focused content such as cooking shows. - Searching directly for solutions to a specific design problem can lead to imitation or narrow thinking. - Rasmus recommends studying neighboring fields or “similar-but-different” problems instead of copying work that solves the exact same challenge. Creative momentum does not require constant exposure to design references. Experiment with hands-on hobbies, revisit personal experiences, connect with online communities, and seek unexpected influences to develop more original ideas.

Figma User Experience Slack Visual Design+3

figmaMay 10, 20203 min readCurated summary

How to pair design (and convince your boss to invest in it) | Figma Blog

Design pairing is a collaborative practice in which two designers synchronously solve the same problem, rather than splitting a project into separate tasks. One designer drives the design while thinking aloud, and the other navigates by observing, asking questions, and identifying edge cases. The approach can improve design quality, accelerate feedback and knowledge sharing, reduce meetings and documentation, and strengthen team morale. ## What Design Pairing Means - Two people work on the same design problem at the same time. - It differs from “divide and conquer,” where designers independently handle separate parts of a project. - Pairing can be applied to tasks such as designing a signup flow, exploring ideas, or refining a user experience. ## Common Pairing Styles - **Generator and synthesizer:** One designer produces many ideas while the other organizes them into a coherent UX flow. - **Lead and support:** A more experienced designer leads while another develops skills through participation. - **Screenshare pairing:** Adapted from pair programming, with designers collaborating directly in the same file. ## Structuring a Pairing Session - Set up shared access to the same design file; tools like Figma enable real-time multiplayer collaboration. - Assign two roles: - **Driver:** Controls the file and performs the design work while explaining decisions aloud. - **Navigator:** Observes without editing and asks constructive questions about patterns, user confusion, and potential edge cases. - The navigator should raise questions rather than criticize, bringing critique and future user feedback into the design process immediately. ## Practical Tips - Agree on the problem before starting, using sketching or inspiration gathering to establish shared context. - Decide who will drive and navigate. - Set a session length, whether it is 10 minutes, a day, or a week. - Take breaks because sustained collaboration can be tiring. - Switch roles so both designers practice driving and navigating. - Use supportive improv principles: build on ideas first and defer rejection when possible. - Normalize the vulnerability of having someone watch you work. - End with a brief retrospective about what worked and what felt uncomfortable. ## Making the Business Case Although pairing appears to use two designers on one task, it can make the overall process more efficient by: - Providing immediate, contextual feedback. - Reducing distractions and later critique cycles. - Sharing knowledge faster and reducing documentation and meetings. - Producing more ideas and uncovering more errors, bugs, and edge cases. - Keeping design files more organized. - Increasing confidence in design decisions. - Improving team morale, which can further improve the quality of the work. Teams should experiment with short pairing sessions, evaluate the results, and expand the practice where it improves speed, quality, and collaboration.

Figma User Experience Sketch Design Critique+2

figmaMay 5, 20202 min readCurated summary

Inside Figma: the product design team’s process | Figma Blog

Figma’s product design team uses deliberate rituals and meeting cadences to maintain connection, consistency, and a high quality bar across designers embedded in different product areas. The article distinguishes the horizontal design-team culture from the vertical product-team culture, arguing that both require investment. Its processes are intended as adaptable examples rather than prescriptions, especially during the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. ## Two overlapping team cultures - Designers belong to both: - A **horizontal design team**, which supports consistency, craft, and shared quality standards. - A **vertical product team**, which focuses on shipping improvements and building expertise in a product area. - As companies grow, designers tend to move from close collaboration across the whole design team into specialized product-area groups. - Figma, with around 10 product designers, was encouraging designers to prioritize relationships with product teams while relying on design-team processes for alignment and community. ## Process during the pandemic - The article was written during COVID-19, when remote work and personal disruption affected productivity and morale. - Design leadership encouraged people to make space for mental health and acknowledged that output might fall significantly. - Regular collaboration became especially valuable because it helped replace some of the social connection normally created in an office. - The author cautions teams not to adopt new rituals automatically; each organization should decide whether it has the capacity for process changes. ## Weekly processes ### Monday warm-up - **Participants:** Product designers, with optional participation from research and brand team members. - **Schedule:** Mondays, 9:30–10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. - **Purpose:** Start the week with a light, social activity rather than immediately focusing on work. - The 30-minute meeting includes a “weekend update” segment lasting roughly five to ten minutes, along with additional activities designed to help the team reconnect. ## Scope of the article - The post focuses on **design-team processes**, not the broader product-development process. - It covers recurring weekly activities, monthly and quarterly rituals, and practical advice for designing team activities. - Product roadmapping, product-team collaboration, hiring, and design critiques are treated in other Figma resources. Figma’s approach emphasizes creating intentional, repeatable moments for connection while keeping the process flexible. Teams should adapt these rituals to their size, structure, working environment, and the personal needs of their members.

Figma Product Design User Research Remote Collaboration+1

figmaApr 29, 20202 min readCurated summary

Figma’s Series D round | Figma Blog

Figma announced a $50 million Series D funding round on April 30, 2020, led by Peter Levine and Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz. The company planned to use the funding to strengthen its collaborative design and prototyping platform while expanding into broader visual communication and creativity tools. The announcement also highlighted Figma’s growing relevance as remote work accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. ## Funding and Investors - The Series D round raised **$50 million**. - It was led by **Peter Levine and Marc Andreessen at a16z**. - Existing investors—including **Index, Greylock, KPCB, Sequoia, and Founders Fund**—also participated. - New participants included **Henry Ellenbogen of Durable Capital** and several angel investors. ## Expanding Uses for Figma - Figma reported increased engagement as work and home life became more digitally connected. - Customers were using the platform beyond interface design for: - Visual whiteboarding - Diagramming - Slide creation - Virtual design sprints - City-building projects - Minecraft skin creation - These examples supported Figma’s broader vision of making design accessible to everyone, including non-designers. ## Planned Use of the Capital - Figma intended to invest further in its core design and prototyping platform. - Priorities included making the product more: - Powerful - Reliable - Collaborative - The company also planned to explore dedicated products for new visual communication and creativity use cases. - Figma viewed the shift toward remote collaboration as an opportunity to accelerate this work. ## Hiring and Company Mission - Figma continued hiring to support its expansion. - Its long-term mission remained making design accessible to a wider audience through web-based collaborative tools. Figma’s Series D funding was positioned as both an investment in its core collaborative design product and a step toward becoming a broader platform for visual communication.

Figma Prototyping Collaborative Design Web Design+2

figmaApr 28, 20202 min readCurated summary

Bridge design and development with the new Zeplin integration | Figma Blog

Figma and Zeplin introduced a redesigned native plugin to improve design-to-development handoff. The integration lets teams export Figma frames, components, colors, and text styles directly to Zeplin, where developers can generate specs, assets, and code snippets. Rebuilt for better performance and maintainability, it addresses issues with large files and high-resolution exports while opening the door to automatic component updates. ## A Growing Design-to-Development Workflow - Zeplin provides advanced handoff features and acts as a bridge between designers and developers. - The original Figma integration launched before Figma officially launched. - More than 300,000 Figma files were exported to Zeplin each month, with usage increasing by 30–40% during the shift to remote work. ## Rebuilt as a Native Plugin - The second-generation integration was rebuilt from the ground up as a native Figma plugin. - This creates a more seamless export experience for users. - It also makes the integration easier for Zeplin to maintain and extend with new features. - Performance problems affecting large Figma files, frames, and export resolutions were addressed. ## Exporting Designs and Generating Handoff Materials - Users can export: - Frames - Components - Color styles - Text styles - In Zeplin, product teams can automatically generate: - Accurate design specifications - Assets - Code snippets - Exported assets can also appear directly in Zeplin style guides. ## Future Possibilities - Figma’s web-based architecture offers advantages over integrations with other design tools. - Zeplin was exploring automatic synchronization, allowing changes to Figma components to be pushed to Zeplin without manual exports. - Users could install the plugin through the Figma Community, and Figma customers were offered three free months of Zeplin’s Organization plan. The new plugin is recommended for teams seeking a faster, more reliable handoff between Figma and development, especially when working with large files or shared design systems.

Figma Developer Tools Zeplin Design Handoff+2

figmaApr 22, 20202 min readCurated summary

Bringing Figma to even more classrooms | Figma Blog

Figma expanded its Figma for Education program in response to the growing need for remote teaching during COVID-19. The program now supports online courses, bootcamps, school-sponsored hackathons, and other virtual or informal classrooms—not just accredited degree programs. Its goal is to make collaborative design education accessible to more learners. ## Expanding Eligibility Beyond Traditional Institutions - Figma had previously offered free access and discounts to students and educators at accredited institutions. - More than 100,000 people worldwide were already using Figma in classrooms. - The expanded program now includes: - Online courses - Bootcamps - School-sponsored hackathons - Other in-person and virtual learning environments - This broader eligibility supports students pursuing degrees, changing careers, improving their skills, or simply learning about design. ## Supporting Remote Classrooms - The shift to remote education created significant challenges for educators and students. - Figma worked with educators such as Miguel Cardona of RIT and Students Who Design to publish teaching materials and guidance for organizing online classes. - These resources cover onboarding students, structuring files, teaching remotely, and providing project feedback. ## Benefits of the Education Plan Applicants accepted into the program receive: - A free Education plan with Professional-level features. - Unlimited editors, files, and projects. - Classroom-focused templates and other teaching resources. - Access to a community of educators and students. - Invitations to virtual events and meetups. ## Collaborative Design Learning - Figma emphasizes that its browser-based, collaborative workflow fits naturally with how students already work together online. - UC Berkeley professor Eric Paulos highlighted the platform’s ability to bring rich online collaboration into visual design education. - The program reflects Figma’s broader mission of making design more accessible. Educators and students can apply for an Education plan through Figma’s education program, while feedback and ideas are welcomed through the dedicated education team.

Figma User Experience Remote Collaboration Human Computer Interaction+2

figmaApr 21, 20202 min readCurated summary

The case for lightweight prototyping | Figma Blog

Lightweight prototypes do not need to be polished to be valuable. Figma argues that early, informal prototypes accelerate feedback, clarify communication, expose technical constraints, and reduce wasted effort. The best prototype is often the one shared early enough to influence the final product. ## Why Lightweight Prototypes Matter - Prototypes support more than formal usability testing: - They communicate a product vision. - They help collaborators and stakeholders respond to work in progress. - They encourage early course correction before changes become expensive. - High fidelity is not always necessary; an informal prototype can be more useful than a polished one if it prompts meaningful feedback. ## Testing Copy and Content - A prototype reveals whether headers, body text, and buttons work together coherently. - It helps identify: - Unclear calls to action - Inconsistent terminology - Mismatched writing styles or tone - Reviewing copy in context is especially useful when multiple people contribute UX writing or microcopy, even before a formal style guide exists. ## Adding Context for Developers - Sharing early prototypes with developers can expose: - Feasibility problems - Technical roadblocks - Areas requiring further exploration - Prototypes are blueprints rather than finished implementations, so additional context helps developers understand the intended experience and bring the design to life accurately. ## Communicating Interactions - Even simple prototypes should clearly map user paths and interactions. - Specifying behaviors such as **On Click**, **On Drag**, and **While Hovering** makes the intended experience easier to understand. - Explicit interactions lead to more accurate feedback and more effective testing. ## Using Figma for Internal Communication Figma also uses prototypes as a communication medium, particularly for remote collaboration. - **All-hands meetings:** Team members add presentation slides directly to a shared master Figma file. - **Information sharing:** Teams use Presentation View for quarterly plans, research findings, and remote-collaboration ideas. - **Customer conversations:** Sales teams send prototype URLs instead of static PDFs, enabling customers to click through presentations and view animated elements such as GIFs. - **Events:** Figma speakers use Figma files and Presentation View to build and deliver conference presentations. Lightweight prototyping is most effective when it is shared early, includes enough interaction detail to convey intent, and provides the surrounding context that collaborators need. Teams should treat prototypes as flexible communication tools—not merely as final-stage testing artifacts.

Figma Design Systems User Experience Prototyping+2

figmaApr 20, 20202 min readCurated summary

How Inneract Project empowers brown and black designers | Figma Blog

Inneract Project, founded in 2004 by Maurice Woods, introduces Black and brown students to design as a path for creative expression, community impact, and future careers. Its curriculum evolved from hands-on paper exercises to professional digital design training as students’ interests shifted toward UX/UI. Figma became especially valuable because its browser-based, free-to-start platform removed cost and access barriers while enabling collaboration and continued practice outside the classroom. ## Building a Foundation Through Hands-On Design - Early courses avoided software and hardware, emphasizing critical and creative thinking through paper-based activities. - As students requested more formal training, Inneract developed **Pathway to Design**, a curriculum for students as young as middle school. - The program initially focused on graphic design, then introduced professional software and hardware. - Expensive licenses and limited equipment often meant students had to share computers. ## Finding Figma - As the industry moved toward mobile apps and interfaces, Inneract updated its curriculum to teach UX/UI design. - Figma was free to get started, reducing financial barriers for students and the program. - Its beginner-friendly tools were also relevant to professional design workplaces. - Because Figma runs in a browser, students could access their files from libraries, schools, and other public computers. - Students practiced outside class more easily, accelerating their skills. - Collaborative Figma projects expanded opportunities to work with classmates, volunteers, and community partners. ## Student Growth and Real-World Projects - Inneract offers workshops, multi-day courses, hackathons, company partnerships, and an expanding student community. - Students have pursued design education and careers, including graphic design and design research. - Student projects address practical community needs: - Sierra designed a more usable walker concept for elderly people and created a music-focused mobile app. - Noah developed an ad campaign supporting homeless youth and created a zine about Oakland graffiti and street art. - Leigh created posters and graphics for her high school before studying graphic design. - The projects demonstrate how early design education can build confidence, creativity, and an interest in solving real-world problems. Inneract’s experience shows that accessible tools, combined with early mentorship and community-focused projects, can help underrepresented students envision and pursue careers in design.

Figma Graphic Design Mobile Apps Wireframing+2

figmaApr 19, 20202 min readCurated summary

11 activities in Figma for your classroom | Figma Blog

Figma’s collaborative, browser-based workflow makes it well suited to hands-on design education. This post presents classroom activities that help students learn Figma while practicing visual design, research, geometry, prototyping, and collaboration. The exercises range from beginner icebreakers to intermediate component and illustration projects, with duplicateable files for educators. ## Getting Started with Figma - **Student trading cards** - An introductory activity combining class introductions with basic Figma practice. - Students create social-media-style profiles using Auto Layout and components. - Working in one shared file exposes students to classmates’ processes and styles. - A gallery page can showcase the finished cards. - **Level:** Beginner - **Features:** Auto Layout, Multiplayer Editing - **Make a heart** - Students create and customize a heart using the Pen Tool, Layout Grid, and the Properties panel. - The exercise builds familiarity with foundational drawing and layout tools. - An optional challenge uses Smart Animate to make the heart pulse. - **Level:** Beginner - **Features:** Pen Tool, Properties Panel, Layout Grid ## Exploring Form, Geometry, and Research - **Figma tangrams** - Students use the seven-piece tangram puzzle to explore geometry and form. - Prompts include creating recognizable animals and experimenting with abstract shapes. - A more advanced version asks students to research and build their own reusable puzzle sets. - **Level:** Beginner - **Features:** Components, rotation, alignment - **Design research paper** - Students visualize research findings in a compelling, readable format. - The class builds a collaborative library of articles that peers can read and comment on. - Reviewing the collection encourages discussion about visual hierarchy and communication design. - **Level:** Beginner - **Features:** Layout Grids, Keyboard Shortcuts ## Practicing Components and Collaboration - **Chat windows** - Students design reusable chat components for conversations and visual feedback. - The activity emphasizes customization and creating components useful in future collaborative work. - **Level:** Intermediate - **Feature:** Auto Layout - **Collaborative illustrations with constraints** - Students work together to create a consistent system of illustrations or icons. - Shared constraints—such as a bespoke geometric grid and limited color palette—encourage cohesion and creative problem-solving. - Peer support and critique are central to the exercise. - **Level:** Intermediate Educators can adapt these activities to their students’ experience levels and duplicate the accompanying Figma community files. Together, they provide a practical progression from basic tool literacy to structured collaboration and reusable design systems.

Figma User Interface Collaborative Design Auto Layout+2

figmaApr 16, 20202 min readCurated summary

Figma + Lambda School: Where the remote classroom comes together to learn | Figma Blog

Figma’s collaboration features help Lambda School recreate the engagement and hands-on interaction of an in-person design classroom online. Students learn through shared presentations, live design work, peer feedback, and visible iteration rather than passively watching lectures. Because their work remains organized in Figma, the same files also support portfolio creation and continued peer learning. ## Interactive, Collaborative Lessons - Lambda School is a nine-month, live online program offering training in web development, mobile development, data science, and UX design. - Instructors present lessons in Figma during video conferences, allowing students to: - Zoom into designs and examine details. - Scroll through examples independently. - Use visible cursors to follow specific points in a presentation. - Students create and refine designs directly in shared Figma files. - Everyone can observe work in progress, learn from classmates, provide feedback, and remix existing designs. - This mirrors the collaborative workflows students will encounter on professional design teams. ## Real-Time and Asynchronous Feedback - Students and instructors can comment, tap each other for input, and work together in the same file. - Open audio, browser-based editing, and comments let students collaborate without constantly interrupting one another. - Students can work independently while classmates observe, take notes, or leave comments for later review. - When needed, an instructor or peer can join in and directly adjust pixels alongside the student. - Voting tools, such as stars, also encourage students to recognize and respond to one another’s work. ## A Lasting Record for Portfolios - Figma automatically preserves students’ designs, revisions, and project history. - This makes it easier to assemble a professional portfolio without searching through scattered files. - Students can focus more on interviews and career preparation while still presenting their development process. - Classmates’ work remains accessible after lessons, creating an ongoing resource for inspiration and learning. - The approach supports Lambda School’s broader career mission, which includes coaching, mentors, and connections to hiring partners. Figma’s use at Lambda School demonstrates how collaborative design tools can make remote education interactive, social, and career-oriented. Programs teaching practical creative skills can benefit from combining live instruction with shared workspaces that preserve feedback, iteration, and student progress.

Figma User Experience Collaborative Design Web Development+3

figmaApr 15, 20202 min readCurated summary

Look no further: New ways to search and provide context in Figma | Figma Blog

Figma’s 2020 updates aimed to make collaborative design work easier to discover and understand. Universal Search lets users find projects, teams, people, plugins, and files without relying only on file names. Links in the editor let designers connect pages, frames, and external documents, making files easier to navigate and providing more project context. ## Universal Search - Figma introduced workspace-wide search to address the difficulty of finding work as teams and content grow. - Users can search for: - Files - Projects - Teams - People - Private plugins - Results appear across categories as users type and can be filtered by category. - For users in the Figma Community beta, results also include community files, publishers, and plugins. - The feature builds on Figma’s shift toward organizing work around people, teams, and projects rather than only folders and file names. ## Links for Navigation and Context - Designers can add links to any page or frame within a Figma file. - Internal links can support navigation aids such as: - Clickable tables of contents - Indexes of design explorations - Pointers to the latest designs or early concepts - External links can connect designs to product requirement documents, specifications, user research, personas, and other project resources. - This allows a Figma file to serve as a central source of truth rather than an isolated design artifact. Together, Universal Search and Links make Figma workspaces easier to search and design files easier to navigate. Teams can spend less time locating assets and more time collaborating with the context needed to make informed decisions.

Figma Design Collaboration Plugins Web Applications+1

figmaApr 14, 20202 min readCurated summary

Research, remotely | Figma Blog

Remote research requires more than transferring in-person methods to video calls; it demands empathy, clear guidance, and intentional collaboration. Figma’s research team recommends adapting participant communication, limiting observers, documenting sessions, and using shared virtual boards to synthesize findings. Remote work also creates opportunities to reach people who would otherwise be difficult to interview in person. ## Lead with User Empathy - Recognize that participants may be facing personal or professional difficulties and may not be ready to participate. - Be willing to pause or slow research when the situation calls for it. - Avoid assuming participants are comfortable with video-conferencing tools. - Send preparation materials and detailed instructions explaining how to join the call and what the session will involve. ## Keep the Research Team Involved - Limit live participants to essential roles, such as a facilitator and note-taker, since too many observers can make participants uncomfortable. - Record interviews only after obtaining permission; recordings preserve tone and context that written notes may miss. - Hold post-session debriefs with the full research team, including people who did not attend the interview. - Share recorded status updates in Slack to communicate interview progress, emerging findings, project materials, and outstanding sessions. ## Use a Virtual Research Board Figma’s team uses shared boards to collect and synthesize research remotely. A useful board can include: - **Research questions:** The study’s goals and questions to answer. - **Participants:** Participant profiles, roles, images, and notable quotes. - **Theme board:** Grouped notes showing patterns across interviews. - **Open questions:** Issues requiring further investigation. - **Next steps:** Specific follow-up sessions, analysis, or team discussions. ## Take Advantage of Remote Research - Remote sessions can reach participants who live far from a company’s headquarters or outside typical in-person recruiting areas. - Although remote research introduces technical and interpersonal challenges, it can broaden access to geographically diverse audiences. Remote research works best when teams prioritize participant comfort, provide unusually clear instructions, and maintain shared documentation. Use remote tools not merely as substitutes for in-person work, but as a way to expand who can participate and how findings are shared.

Figma Slack User Research Usability Testing+2