Figma’s Evolution in 2024: Enhancing Productivity for Digital Professionals

As a digital skills provider, Figma has proved to be one of our most popular courses, as we have sought to train and support digital professionals throughout 2024. This article will explore the recent advancements in Figma, how they’ve come in response to requests from designers and how these updates have enhanced the productivity and workflow of graphic designers, copywriters, video production professionals, web designers, UX designers and marketing and management professionals.

Understanding the Needs of Digital Professionals

Digital professionals across various disciplines have unique needs and challenges. Here’s a brief overview of what each group might be looking for in design tools such as Figma:

Graphic Designers

Graphic designers often seek tools that enhance their creative process, such as advanced colour management, typography options and integration with other design software. For instance, Figma’s updated eyedropper tool allows designers to easily reuse styles and variables, tab through different colour formats, or create new styles and variables directly within the interface.

Copywriters

Copywriters benefit from tools that streamline their writing process and help them collaborate with designers. Features such as real-time commenting and feedback mechanisms in Figma can facilitate this collaboration, ensuring that the content and design align seamlessly.

Video Production Professionals

Video production professionals may not directly use design tools such as Figma, but they can benefit from the collaborative aspects and the ability to review and comment on design elements that will be used in their videos. For example, Figma’s commenting system allows for clear communication between team members, which is essential for video production projects that involve multiple participants.

Web and UX Designers

Web and UX designers are heavily reliant on design tools that offer robust features for creating responsive designs, prototyping and user testing. Figma’s UI3 update, which includes docked but resizable panels, has significantly improved the workflow for these designers by providing more space on the canvas and easier access to essential tools.

Marketing Professionals

Marketing professionals need tools that help them create engaging content quickly and efficiently. Figma’s AI features, such as visual search and asset search, can help marketing teams find and use existing design elements more effectively, saving time and resources.

Management Professionals

Management professionals are interested in tools that enhance team productivity and collaboration. Figma’s updates to team and content management, including a new sidebar navigation and dedicated content tab, have made it easier for managers to oversee projects and ensure smooth workflows.

The Impact of UI3 on Design Workflows

Figma’s UI3 update is a significant redesign of the interface, aimed at improving usability and productivity.

Streamlining the Interface

The UI3 update introduced fixed panels instead of floating panels, which had been a point of contention among users. This change was made after extensive feedback from the Figma community, highlighting the importance of speed and ease of use in design tools. The new interface provides more space on the canvas and keeps essential tools within easy reach.

Docked but Resizable Panels

The panels are now docked but resizable, floating only in specific contexts such as Figma Design with Minimise UI, Figma Slides’ grid view, and FigJam. This change addresses user feedback, particularly the need for horizontal scrolling in the layers and libraries panel, which was a long-standing request.

Toolbar and Actions Menu

The toolbar provides quick access to essential tools at the bottom of all Figma products, while the new Actions menu brings AI features within easy reach. These improvements might seem subtle individually, but together they create a more responsive and capable editor that stays out of the way.

Enhancing Core Functionality

In addition to the interface redesign, Figma also fine-tuned core functionalities based on user feedback.

Multi-Edit

Multi-edit, which arrived in Figma Design in March 2024 and more recently in Figma Slides, adapts to different working styles. This feature allows designers to work on multiple elements simultaneously, making it more flexible and efficient.

Typography

Typography features have been enhanced, allowing designers to override text styles with italics, bold and underline, and apply text decoration to underlines. The improved font picker automatically detects local fonts and designers can set mixed paragraph spacing in a single text node.

Performance and Memory Management

Dynamic page loading helps manage even the largest design files efficiently, and optimised memory usage ensures smoother performance, especially in large files. A revamped memory management system and smoother multiplayer experience keep teams working without interruption.

The Role of AI in Design Tools

AI is increasingly becoming a crucial component of design tools, helping to remove friction points in the design process.

Visual Search and Asset Management

Figma’s AI-powered visual search allows designers to find assets and components by uploading an image or selecting an area on the canvas. This feature understands context, making it easier to locate components even when names do not exactly match. The asset search now also understands context, helping designers locate components efficiently.

Text and Image Manipulation

AI features in Figma include tools for text manipulation, such as replacing text content with realistic text, rewriting, translating and shortening text. The "Make an image" feature allows designers to create and edit images directly on the canvas, while the "Remove background" feature helps in isolating subjects without switching tools.

Mind Mapping and Presentation Tools

In FigJam, AI-powered mind maps have become a popular feature for teams to explore ideas and visualise connections naturally. Designers can generate a Figma Slides deck outline from a FigJam board using Figma AI and generate presenter notes, streamlining the presentation preparation process.

Collaboration and Community Engagement

Effective design tools must also facilitate collaboration and community engagement.

Community Feedback and Updates

Figma’s updates are heavily influenced by community feedback. The company engages with its users through various channels, including beta testing and community events. For instance, the UI3 update was shaped significantly by user feedback, ensuring that the new interface met the needs of the design community.

Tools for Team Management

Figma has also improved its team and content management features, including a new sidebar navigation and a dedicated content tab. These updates help admins manage teams and content more efficiently, ensuring that projects are well-organised and easily accessible. Streamlined drafts, content transfer tools, and file move workflows further enhance team collaboration.

Performance and Security Enhancements

Behind the scenes, Figma has made significant improvements to performance and security.

Global Infrastructure

Figma has enhanced its global infrastructure with localised file hosting in the EU, improved handling of large asset libraries, and strengthened security controls for Enterprise teams. These changes ensure the integrity and safety of design files and improved overall performance.

Admin Tools

For admins, Figma overhauled team and content management with a new sidebar navigation and dedicated content tab. These updates simplify the process of managing teams and content across different accounts and organisations.

New Tools to Enhance Workflow

Several new tools have been introduced to help designers go from work-in-progress to final product more efficiently.

File Organisation

New tools such as file pinning, improved search filters, page dividers and split tabs have simplified file organisation. These features help designers quickly locate and manage their files, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks.

Auto Layout

Figma redesigned Auto Layout with the "suggest Auto Layout" feature to make designs more responsive. This feature helps designers create flexible and adaptable layouts with minimal effort.

Design Systems and Brand Identity

Figma has also focused on enhancing design systems and brand identity tools.

Design Systems

Design systems and brand identity tools have been built to scale, allowing teams to maintain consistency across their designs. These tools help in creating and managing design systems that are robust and easily accessible to all team members.

Standout Plugins and Templates

The community has played a significant role in developing standout plugins and templates that extend Figma’s capabilities. These community-driven tools help designers solve specific problems and improve their workflow.

Bringing the Community Together

Figma’s community engagement efforts have been instrumental in shaping the tool’s development.

Community Events

Events such as Config 2024 and the growth of Friends of Figma groups world wide have brought the community together, fostering collaboration and feedback. These events provide a platform for designers to share their experiences and influence future updates.

Conclusion

The evolution of design tools, as seen in Figma’s recent updates, is driven by the need to enhance productivity and workflow for digital professionals. By incorporating AI features, streamlining interfaces and improving collaboration tools, these updates demonstrate a deep understanding of the needs of graphic designers, copywriters, video production professionals, web designers, UX designers, marketing professionals and management professionals. Tools such as Figma are at the forefront of innovation and by continuously listening to user feedback and integrating AI in meaningful ways, Figma is ensuring that its platform remains a powerful tool for digital professionals across various disciplines.