Web Design | Techlist.io

figmaFeb 7, 20182 min readCurated summary

Web design without a web designer? Xfive turns to Figma. | Figma Blog

Xfive, a web development company without in-house designers, used Figma to redesign its outdated website. Content producer Lubos Kmetko created the redesign and used Figma’s browser-based collaboration, prototyping, commenting, and developer handoff features to involve stakeholders across the company. The experience showed that Figma could make website design accessible to non-designers while reducing communication and implementation friction. ## Website problems and redesign goals - Xfive’s homepage and key sections had fallen behind as the company grew. - The site suffered from: - Outdated Customers and Work sections - Confusing navigation - Too many competing calls to action - Numerous landing pages that were difficult to maintain - Because Xfive typically implements client-provided designs, it did not usually employ dedicated designers. - Lubos Kmetko, a content producer familiar with Figma, took responsibility for the redesign. ## Prototyping and stakeholder collaboration - Lubos redesigned the homepage, Customers section, and Work section. - He streamlined navigation and reduced the number of CTAs and landing pages. - Stakeholders from marketing, sales, production, editorial, development, and operations reviewed the mockups. - Figma’s cloud-based workflow allowed anyone with a browser to: - Open the designs through a shared link - Leave comments - Discuss ideas and interactions - Review changes in real time - Feedback and revisions remained synchronized in one location instead of being scattered across files and messages. ## Improving designer-developer handoff - Approved designs were shared directly through Figma rather than sent as files through email or Box. - Developers could inspect designs in the browser using Code Mode. - Figma provided specifications such as dimensions, colors, and padding, along with export options for CSS, iOS, and Android code. - This reduced version-control problems, guesswork, and dependency on tools such as Avocode or Zeplin. - Developers reported that access to precise design details helped them code faster and more accurately. ## Future use of Figma at Xfive - Xfive viewed the redesign as a starting point for adopting Figma in client projects. - Lubos envisioned replacing emailed PDFs and JPEGs with functional, shareable prototypes. - The company planned to use Figma across the process, from early design discussions and implementation details to developer handoff. Figma enabled Xfive to complete a substantial redesign without a traditional designer and created a more centralized, collaborative workflow. For teams working across disciplines or locations, browser-based prototypes, comments, and inspectable design specifications can significantly simplify both design review and development.

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Web Design Figma User Experience Prototyping+4

figmaJan 31, 20182 min readCurated summary

Figma raises $25MM Series B | Figma Blog

Figma announced a $25 million Series B funding round led by Kleiner Perkins partner Mamoon Hamid. Existing investors from Index, Greylock, and LinkedIn also participated. The funding supports Figma’s broader vision of making design accessible, collaborative, and web-based rather than limited by siloed tools and workflows. ## Series B Funding - The round was led by Kleiner Perkins’ Mamoon Hamid. - Hamid’s previous investments included SaaS companies such as Slack, Box, and Intercom. - Existing investors Danny Rimer of Index, John Lilly of Greylock, and LinkedIn co-founder Jeff Weiner joined the round. - This was Hamid’s first investment at Kleiner Perkins. ## Figma’s Founding Vision - Figma was founded five years earlier by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace. - The founders believed creative tools should empower users rather than constrain them. - Their goal was to make creation: - Accessible to more people - Collaborative instead of siloed - Built for the web - The company emerged from experimentation with browser-based design tools, supported initially by a Thiel Fellowship. ## Adopting a New Way of Working - Figma acknowledged that changing established design workflows is difficult and takes time. - The company credited its users, employees, and early investors for supporting its vision during that transition. - The funding announcement represented both financial growth and continued validation of collaborative, web-based design. Figma intended to use the momentum from its Series B to continue developing tools that make design more open, collaborative, and accessible across teams.

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Web Design Figma User Experience Collaborative Design+1

figmaMay 16, 20172 min readCurated summary

Are hackathons the answer to the tech designer shortage? | Figma Blog

Hackathons could help address the tech industry’s designer shortage by connecting design students with engineers, rapid product development, and recruiting companies. However, traditional hackathons often make designers feel unwelcome because they emphasize coding and seem aimed exclusively at developers. Hack@Brown shows that deliberate outreach and inclusive programming can turn hackathons into an effective pathway into product design careers. ## Making Hackathons Welcoming to Designers - Many design students believe they do not belong at hackathons because they cannot code or view tech companies as “selling out.” - Hack@Brown changed its branding to appear more professional and appealing to designers. - Organizers introduced dedicated UX and UI prizes. - They contacted design clubs nationwide and paid travel costs for students to attend. - The event’s design team grew from four members to six, helping ensure designers’ concerns shaped the experience. ## The Missing Path into Tech Design - Engineers have established routes into technology through coding education, projects, and recruiting pipelines; designers often lack an equivalent path. - Even invited designers sometimes left after seeing recruiting booths focused on engineers, reinforcing the sense that they did not fit in. - Companies need to take responsibility for finding potential designers rather than waiting for them to enter traditional tech channels. - Personal mentorship can be decisive: Atty Eleti discovered his potential as a designer after encouragement from Figma engineer Jessica Liu and designer Alice Lee. ## Hackathons as a Recruiting Funnel - Hack@Brown grew from 15–20 designers in 2013 to more than 100 in 2017—about 20% of attendees. - Companies including Facebook, Kayak, LinkedIn, Dropbox, IBM, and GE were increasing designer recruitment. - Facebook representatives attended to identify students with potential and followed up with attendees, including campus visits. - Recruiters seek designers with a combination of skills that remains difficult to find because product design is still a relatively young field. - Hackathons give companies an opportunity to meet promising candidates early and show students that tech design offers substantial career opportunities. Companies and hackathon organizers should actively invite, support, and mentor designers. With inclusive branding, design-specific challenges, financial assistance, and visible designer participation, hackathons can become a meaningful bridge into tech careers rather than developer-only events.

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Web Design Figma User Experience Product Design+2

figmaMar 13, 20172 min readCurated summary

The 6 design trends John Maeda predicted in his State of the Union | Figma Blog

John Maeda’s 2017 *Design in Tech Report* predicted rapid growth and transformation in product design. The article argues that companies increasingly need designers because technology has become easy to build, making user experience and emotional relevance key differentiators. However, fragmented tools and outdated education remain major challenges. ## Designer Hiring Surges - Major corporations are expanding their product design teams. - Companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon reportedly hired 65% more designers in the previous year. - More than 35 design agencies were acquired by large companies over two years. - As app development becomes commoditized, design determines how useful and meaningful products feel to people. ## More Inclusive Design - Technology’s broader reach requires products designed for people from varied backgrounds and experiences. - Companies including Airbnb, Slack, Google, and Microsoft were highlighted as leaders in inclusive design. - Inclusion is becoming both a social responsibility and a product-quality requirement. ## Design Education Falls Behind - Many design programs remain focused on print-era disciplines such as traditional typography. - Schools often fail to teach digital product design for web and mobile platforms. - More than two-thirds of surveyed students said they learned digital skills independently through resources such as Lynda.com. - Maeda expects educational institutions to change slowly because their structures and processes evolve deliberately. ## Design-Focused Investment - Venture capital is showing greater interest in companies built around design. - Two VC firms were reportedly launching with design-focused investment strategies. - Designers themselves show entrepreneurial interest: 80% of those surveyed said they would start a company if they had sufficient funding. ## Growing Number of Design Tools - Product design tools remain fragmented, supporting different workflows rather than one unified process. - Many companies are attempting to streamline collaboration and production. - Maeda warned that increasingly sophisticated tools could create more opportunities for machine intelligence and eventually reduce demand for some design work. ## Emerging Specializations - Voice-interface design is growing alongside products such as Amazon Alexa. - Cybersecurity is creating demand for specialized designers. - China is expected to become increasingly influential in the global design landscape. The outlook for technology and product design is strong, but the industry must address outdated education and disconnected workflows. Designers, companies hiring them, and toolmakers all have opportunities—especially to create more unified, collaborative design processes.

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Web Design Figma Product Design User Interface Design+4

figmaMar 1, 20173 min readCurated summary

Can designers make a political difference? | Figma Blog

The post argues that designers can make a political difference by applying their skills, platforms, and creative work to support vulnerable communities and challenge political ideas. After Trump’s election, many designers moved from grief to action through pro-bono services, fundraising, public art, and political satire. Their work may not change policy directly, but it can strengthen organizations, shape public conversation, and build solidarity. ## Visible: Design Support for Grassroots Organizations - Portland agency The Beauty Shop responded to the 2016 election by offering free design work to organizations serving women, people of color, Hispanic, Muslim, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities. - The response quickly grew: - Their Instagram following quadrupled in two days. - Around 300 designers and studios volunteered, including a Facebook design team. - The founders created Visible, a coalition connecting designers with grassroots organizations. - Its initial twelve partners included: - The Iowa Abortion Access Fund - Nightingale, a healthcare-focused publication - The Yemen Peace Project, whose website had been attacked by hackers - The designers argued that strong branding and visual structure can make organizations appear more legitimate and help them succeed. ## Creative Action Network: Celebrating Shared Values - Creative Action Network (CAN) organizes artists around social-good campaigns for groups such as the National Parks Conservation Association and the New York Public Library. - After the election, CAN launched a project to publish one poster per day for the first 100 days of the Trump administration. - The posters celebrated elements of American life including jazz and religious freedom. - Rather than focusing only on protest, CAN emphasized celebrating the values and communities people wanted to preserve, creating common ground. ## Hallie Bateman: Art as Fundraising and Personal Resistance - Illustrator Hallie Bateman questioned whether her usual focus on ordinary moments still fit a changed political reality. - After reflecting on art’s role during periods of conflict, she began using her illustrations to raise money. - She sold a limited-edition drawing and donated the proceeds, excluding printing costs, to Planned Parenthood, raising $2,000. - She later created another print to support the Sierra Club. - Bateman acknowledged that her approach was informal and could become more strategic, but viewed creative fundraising as a meaningful way to contribute. ## Ben Barry: Political Satire Through Design - Former Facebook designer Ben Barry accepted a freelance assignment from The New York Times to design a satirical job application mocking Trump. - He explored several visual directions, including: - A poorly formatted elementary-school field-trip flyer - A document styled like an internal Russian government memo - An exaggerated, gold-and-brassy design reflecting Trump’s public image - The project allowed Barry to use design and humor in one of the country’s largest newspapers to criticize an administration he opposed. Designers can contribute politically by offering practical expertise, amplifying causes, raising funds, celebrating shared values, and using visual communication to expose or ridicule political power. The examples suggest that meaningful action does not require a single grand strategy; individual creative efforts can support broader movements.

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Web Design Graphic Design Illustration Social Media+1