Figma's 13 Design Tool Potential

In terms of functionality and features, Figma is a cloud-based design application comparable to Sketch but with significant variations that make Figma superior for team collaboration. We'll demonstrate how Figma streamlines the design process and is more efficient than other tools at facilitating productive teamwork for people who are dubious about such assertions.

Learn about the essential features that every designer needs to be aware of to get the most out of Figma.

Start your journey into user interface and user experience design by learning how to utilize Figma. Building a strong portfolio for yourself and even starting your own business requires these abilities.

Any operating system that supports a web browser is compatible with Figma. Figma may be used on Macs, Windows PCs, Linux computers, and even Chromebooks. It is the only design tool of its kind that can accomplish this, yet it still allows users to exchange, access, and edit Figma files in locations with hardware running various operating systems.

Designers frequently use Macs, whereas developers frequently utilize Windows PCs. These groupings are more cohesive thanks to Figma. Because Figma is worldwide, PNG-pong is not a problem (where updated images are bounced back and forth between design team disciplines). With Figma, everyone may access design work without the requirement for a mediating mechanism.

Teams can work together in Figma just as they would in Google Docs because it is browser-based. A round avatar of a user reading or editing a file is displayed at the top of the program. Additionally, each individual gets a labeled cursor, making it simple to see who is doing what. When you click on another person's avatar, you may now zoom into anything they are seeing.

Real-time file collaboration reduces "design drifting," which is described as misinterpreting or deviating from an established design. When an idea is generated and swiftly implemented while a project is in process, design drifting typically occurs. Unfortunately, this frequently results in departing from the original plan, which creates friction and extra labor.

By just opening a shared file, a design lead may use Figma to check in and see what the team is developing in real-time. This feature enables the design lead to step in, correct the course, and save many hours that would have been otherwise spent if a designer somehow misinterprets the brief or user narrative.

Figma makes use of Slack as a means of communication. Any comments or design changes made in Figma are "slacked" to the team after a Figma channel is formed in Slack. The ability to update every other instance where a Figma file is embedded makes this capability essential when designing in real-time (a potential headache for developers). The feedback channel is open and changes to a mockup are instantly reviewed, whether they are justified or not.

Additionally, Figma enables permission-based sharing of any page, frame, or file (called an artboard in other design tools). A user clicking on a share link for a frame on a page will launch the browser version of Figma and load a zoomed-in view of the frame.

In bug tracking systems and community software like Confluence or SharePoint, this type of selective sharing, from file down to the frame, enables designers, product owners, and developers to share just what is required.

Additionally, Figma provides live embed code snippets for pasting an iFrame in external applications. When Confluence is used to show embedded mockup files, for instance, those files are NOT "updated" by saving a Figma file—instead, those embedded files ARE the Figma file.

Any changes made to the mockup in Figma will be immediately seen in the Confluence mockup that is embedded.

Several other technologies existed before Figma that made it easier to share design revisions and mockups. Teams may examine and put the existing design into practice throughout the iteration cycle, which consists of back and forth file changes.

Third-party tools are no longer required after Figma (but could be used if desired). Move from drawings to Figma, and all groups will have the most recent mockups since Figma handles the functionality of the third-party tools mentioned before. In the purest meaning of the phrase, there is no "handoff."

Both the design and prototype modes of Figma enable in-app comments, and the comment thread is monitored in Slack and/or email. When utilizing a third-party application like InVision or Marvel, getting input from a team does not require publishing PNG files or performing frequent updates.

Team designers may discuss their work on a widescreen, add comments, and address problems during design reviews—all using Figma. Sketch does not provide this type of real-time feedback since it requires team input to be uploaded to a cloud server.

Developers may use Figma to examine code snippets in CSS, iOS, or Android formats on any selected frame or object when looking at a design file. Any developer who can access a file can study the design elements within it. The information may be obtained without the use of a third-party tool. Even so, teams may fully integrate Figma with Zeplin if they want to do more than just use CSS for display and simple measurement.

Figma organizes files since it is an online application and does it by presenting projects and the files associated with them in a separate view. Like Sketch, Figma allows for numerous pages per file, allowing Agile teams to properly structure their projects.

Figma now includes developer APIs that enable seamless integration with any web application. This is being used by businesses to include real-time design file displays in their apps. Everyone in the firm is welcome to offer opinions and discuss designs.