All About Figma for UI/UX Design

Figma's new owners have arrived, and they're revolutionizing it. As a result, it's quickly becoming a popular design tool, and with good reason. It's fast, easy to use, and has powerful features you won't find elsewhere. In this article, we'll show you Figma's first steps and guide you through the basics of this fantastic application. What are we waiting for? Let's get started!

What is Figma? 

​​Figma is a cloud-based collaborative design platform used by teams of all sizes. As it allows an innovative real-time collaboration, it has revolutionized UI prototyping. As a result, Figma enables you to deliver HQ products quickly. Thus, it's ideal for teams who need to move fast to meet users' expectations. 

What is Figma used for?

Figma's prominence lies in turning things different and more accessible. As a web-based design tool, it enables active collaboration. Hence, launching better products takes a shorter amount of time. With Figma, creating designs faster than ever while sharing work is possible! The main reason to use Figma is that it makes work more enjoyable. With it, creating frames that are shareable across platforms becomes easier. Further, another reason is offering comments or chatting directly within the frame. This trait turns feedback into more efficient than back-and-forth emailing. Figma's version control system also keeps track of each version. So, teams don’t have to worry about losing progress while working on a project. 

How does Figma work? 

Figma's functional system covers several collaboration features. Among them are UI/UX design, web development, animations, prototypes, and more. Many of its traits allow people to edit the same file simultaneously. Thus, everyone has access to the project’s latest version. Additionally, its functional system uses diverse libraries to allow you to control everything. You can use it to keep all the fonts and components displayed with the vector networks. So, it offers plugins that help automate tasks or provide integrations while using it. 

Who uses Figma?

Figma's users are highly diverse, ranging from professionals to students. Further, it always has something to offer to its broad audience. It doesn't matter whether you're a UI/UX designer or developer; it can help you! Its features make it easy for teams to work from anywhere worldwide. Although Figma's primary uses are design and prototyping, it has some functions outside of it. It can be widely used for other purposes, making it useful for several industries. Regardless of your profession, it'd allow you to achieve efficient designs. 

Figma Key Features

Over the years, Figma has gained different qualities to become a designer's go-to tool. As a result, it converts conventional design processes into outstanding ones. Some key features help goal achievement. Some of Figma's key traits are 

1. Figma Collaborative Accessibility

This feature enhances brainstorming. It's essential when you're in a design sprint and have to devise a product's prototype. Likewise, with Figma, you can divide tasks and place ideas using different software. At the same time, teams can give feedback and revise it. Figma helps collaboration while including traits that make joint work easier. 

2. Figma Production and Iterations

When creating a product, you need initial sketches to understand where to go. In this scenario, interacting with team members is crucial. Figma helps you to design UI without facing whiteboarding issues. It also has creative flows to build wireframes with many libraries. You can start producing by using its vast template collection!

3. Figma Customization Versatility

Figma has shown that customizing plugins and APIs is relatively easy. This versatility ensures you the use of data through mockups and prototypes. Further, you can import these files to test-design all the necessary components. The same thing occurs with advanced workflows. You can program the UI part to be available on user-facing screens. 

4. Figma Prototyping and Testing

Your team can create outstanding prototypes comprising and editing files. As a result, prototyping and testing take less time than usual. Figma's collaborative behavior allows testers to use URLs to check projects. Whether the tester is on a PC or mobile device doesn't matter! They can check out mockups with a cross-platform approach. 

5. Figma Smooth Handoff

Users deal fast with developer handoff situations. As a result, they avoid requiring different tools to get tasks done. You can be in the design and coding phases at the same time by using view-only access. You only need part of the copy-pasted process to see how it'll end up. 

Pros and Cons of Figma

Figma is a tool that allows you to get diverse approaches as you use it. Thus, its performance can bring some pros and cons. This balance shows how it can change the design process in many senses. Let's explore some of Figma's advantages and disadvantages!

Pros of Figma

● Support: Figma's quality allows users to support their work. They can use several tools to add vectors and combine or edit files. Also, this function enables getting editable designs without compatibility issues.

● Collaboration: This feature allows for collaboration consecutively. Figma's functionalities help edit, make changes, and notify other users, ensuring teams' cooperation. All members can easily see, comment, and edit what others do to speed up things. 

● Compatibility: As mentioned above, Figma is a user-friendly platform because you can use it as you need. You can edit and create projects while using other tools' other features. This aspect is what makes it able to share content without flexibility guidelines. 

● Libraries: Figma uses several libraries to store information, which mixes files in real-time. Thus, you can store data without fearing it getting stuck while working!

Cons of Figma

● Offline: You can only work on Figma with an internet connection. It does have an automatic saving system. Yet, while it saves online files, you could lose progress if a connection problem arises.

● Compatibility: Figma only works on specific browsers like Chrome or Firefox. Nonetheless, they're working on it! The need to look for compatible browsers can be upsetting for some users. Yet, Figma's desktop app supports both Mac and Windows.

The Impact of Figma

Figma knew how to impact the world as no other design tool. The platform has not only helped designers but also revolutionized how they work. This path led to achieving notable performances, affecting people from all fields. You can acknowledge its impact through the following categories: 

Figma for Business

Figma has quite an impact on businesses nowadays. It has changed people's collaborative ways of designing websites and mobile app prototypes. Here, Figma streamlines design processes while boosting productivity. This focus goes to prove Figma's matter for businesses' fast growth. Iteration becomes more manageable by using its drag-and-drop and easy-to-use UI. So, starting from scratch or manually writing code is not a problem. In turn, we get swift prototyping stages that uphold quality and accuracy.

Figma for Designers

Figma has had a considerable influence on the creative and design world. This impact is mainly due to enabling designers drawing pixel-perfect shapes and using powerful tools. Plus, designers don't have to worry about version management; they can see real-time changes! Thus, Figma has helped modernize the process for all the design fields. 

Figma vs Similar Tools

Comparing Figma to similar tools is a necessary stop in this journey. In this case, Adobe XD and Sketch are the leading contenders. These differences rely on perspectives and workflows. Hence, this comparison is vital to understand Figma's uniqueness.

Figma vs Adobe XD

Both platforms are among today's most popular design tools. Figma and Adobe XD offer robust features, intuitive UI, and many integrations. With Figma, you can access collaborative design tools like real-time editing control. Contrariwise, Adobe XD offers good prototyping capabilities. Further, it's within Adobe's Creative Cloud, with products like Photoshop or Illustrator. Choosing between them relies on what priorities your project has.

Figma vs Sketch 

On design on web platforms, Figma and Sketch offer different approaches. Yet, both provide equally effective results with proper use. As we talked about before, Figma allows real-time collaboration. But, Sketch focuses on individual workflows and productivity enhancements. It also considers things like improved exporting options and plugin support. While Figma supports resolutions up to 4K pixels, Sketch only reaches 2K pixels. This trait can be limiting when needing high-resolution graphics. Still, it's an excellent option to bring designs to life. 

Conclusion

Figma's platform gives designers endless possibilities. It enables design creation from vector network tools to advanced collaboration capabilities. With it, designers enjoy an intuitive UI to bring their ideas to life. Prevailing, Figma's library offers a million opportunities to explore your creativity. You can use it regardless of whether you're a rookie or a pro designer. So, if you're looking for new ways to express yourself, Figma has something special for you!