The Power of Figma as a Design Tool

Figma is the better collaboration tool for teams compared to Sketch, as it is also a cloud-based design tool with similar capabilities and features. Let’s take a look at how Figma’s design process is easy to use and effective, compared to other programs that help designers and teams collaborate seamlessly.

Figma is available on all popular platforms. Figma runs on any browser-based operating system. You can use Figma on Windows PCs, Macs, Linux machines, even Chromebooks. There is no other design tool of its type that can handle this, and even in shops with hardware running different operating systems, Figma files can still be shared, opened, and edited.

There are three main reasons to use Figma:

• The best way to design
• Better Collaboration
• Better accessibility

1.  The best way to design

You need to work with the same elements repeatedly when designing interfaces, like buttons, icons, cards, etc. When you use the components feature, you can take any element and transform it into a master component and make instances of it; they apply the same changes to all their instances if you change them.

Components are just like styles only colors, types, and effects can be saved. You can apply any color you like to multiple elements with a click of a button. This will save you time. Also, you can make your static screens responsive using the constraints feature. You can use the same design on different screens.

Figma also has a feature called Auto Layout. This allows frames to fit their content by themselves. With Auto Layout, you can apply elements with no need to resize them into position. It finds the right size to fit the elements as needed. This feature is specially designed to simplify the task of resizing objects. With Figma, it is possible to prototype an animated and clickable demonstration. You can use your artboards to demo. 

Plus, Figma has Google fonts integrated for free. That’s more than 800 fonts at your fingertips. So you don’t have to import fonts.

2. Better Collaboration

Team collaboration is easier with Figma, as it’s browser-based. It’s convenient for teams to work together as though they’re working on a Google Doc on a computer. Moreover, each person has a named cursor, so tracking what each user is doing is easy. By clicking the avatar of someone else, you zoom to the specific widget they are using at the moment.

Using real-time file collaboration tools prevents the risk of “design drifting”—that is, straying from a design that has been agreed upon. The design drifting effect usually occurs when an idea is conceived and quickly implemented while a project is ongoing. Unfortunately, this results in deviating from the designed solution, which can cause friction and rework.

Design leads use Figma to see how their team is working on their designs in real-time when they open a shared document. The design user story feature allows the lead designer to correct errors made by the designer if the brief or user story was misinterpreted. This feature saves countless hours which would otherwise be wasted. Sketch does not have this feature, which means teams can not immediately tell whether the design is going astray.

As Figma’s communication channel, Slack is implemented via a dedicated Figma channel. Any changes or comments made on Figma are then “slacked” through the channel. This is critical when designing Figma files because every instance where the file is embedded will be updated when the file changes (which could be a headache for developers). Modifications to a mockup, regardless of whether they are justified, are immediately reviewed, and the feedback channel is live.

3. Better accessibility

Free versions of the Figma software are available for individuals, solving the accessibility problem. The free version comes with most of the features used in the premium version. Figma files can be opened with just a web browser. They can be worked on any operating system.

The Figma app also offers permission-based sharing for any file, page, or frame. When a share link is created, it will take the clicker to the Figma client and zoom the view of the page. Figma is a cross-platform tool, available all over the web. The ability to share selectively, down to the frame, enables product owners, designers, and developers to share only the information they need in bug tracking tools and community software tools like Confluence and SharePoint. 

Every file you create in Figma, as well as the unlimited storage, is stored in the cloud. There is no need for you to worry about losing your creations. It also provides live embed codes for third-party tools, so that you can paste an iFrame in third-party software. Suppose Confluence is used to display embedded mock-up files, those files are not actually “updated” by saving the corresponding Figma document; they are the Figma document.

To Sum Up

An excellent design, prototyping, and code-generation tool are included with Figma, which is a browser-based UX and UI designing tool. Currently, it is (and is arguable) the leading interface design tool available and provides its users with a full range of features to support them throughout the entire development process. It works on any operating system that operates on a web browser, including Macs, Windows laptops, Linux machines, as well as Chromebooks. It is a great resource that you should check out if you haven’t already.