What is Figma Used For?
Are you wondering what is Figma used for?
This is a question that most non-techy people would often ask.
Figma is a digital design, prototyping, and design testing tool.
You can use it on any operating system such as Mac, Windows PC, Linux, and Chrome OS.
It’s designed so that users can collaborate on projects and work almost anywhere.
Figma is simply a digital design and prototyping tool.
A team can use a design application based on UI and UX to create designs, websites, or smaller components to embed in other projects.
Although Figma is very similar to other prototyping tools, the key difference is the ability to work with project teams together.
To date, Figma is perhaps the most suitable option.
Here’s a look at what is Figma used for and how this tool can benefit your projects and workflow.
Table of Contents
Let’s Design On Your Terms
Figma is a modern platform where you can choose from various engaging and easy-to-use tools.
For example, a unique pen tool allows you to draw in any possible direction with Vector Networks.
The tool called “OpenType” is the perfect tool for those of you who can’t find the correct font.
Working with arc designs, drawing clocks, pie charts, and more has never been easy.
Auto Layout is the tool you can use every time you want to resize text, rearrange items, and stretch the components for the design you want.
Do you want to make your projects and designs even easier?
No problem for Figma and its plugins.
There are plugins for everything – flow diagrams, charts, icons, stock imagery, color accessibility, and even more.
You can create a plugin when you build a website.
Your team can create and distribute private plugins that only the team members can use.
And if you think it can’t get any better, wait to find out about the possibility you have.
You can use the cloud software to save all the information and all the files you need.
Accessing your files anywhere and anytime is easy as long as there’s internet access.
You can visit Figma’s website to know more about its features.
Collaboration In Figma Is Simple
Figma is based on being used by your team in a browser.
This allows your team to collaborate much easier than they would at Google Docs.
It would make their work much easier and bring them together as a team.
When someone in the team edits or reviews files, their avatar appears at the top of the app as a circular avatar.
This feature helps the team facilitate their work, which is defined as misinterpretation or diversion from the initially agreed design.
It’s also easy to see what exactly your team’s person is looking at or editing by simply clicking on their avatar.
Then the avatar will zoom in, allowing you to see and check what exactly your team is looking at or editing in real-time.
This feature helps the team facilitate their work, which is defined as misinterpretation or diversion from the originally agreed design.
This usually happens when the design idea is conceived and is quickly realized while the project is still underway.
The main reason for diversion is precisely this one and leads to reworking and annoyance among the team.
Using Figma enables this problem to be prevented.
The team leader could easily open the shared file from the team and check what the team is designing in real-time.
This allows if someone on the team misinterprets the user’s design history, the team leader intervenes and corrects the misunderstanding.
Figma’s feature saves many hours spent reworking the corresponding design.
Some designers don’t feel comfortable being “spied on” while working.
However, most of them easily get attached to the shared look of work and understand its great advantages.
By comparison, other programs like Sketch don’t have a similar feature.
Moreover, it cannot determine whether designers deviate from the initially agreed design.
Communication And Sharing In Figma
Slack is an application that Figma uses as its communication channel.
When you make a Figma channel in Slack, all edits or comments are shared directly with the team.
With that, communication between your team is accessible and casual.
This feature is crucial for the proper operation of the team.
Any correction in a file used in Figma’s platform will automatically be corrected, and in all others is exemplified in which the corresponding file is involved.
This is a potential headache for developers who are saved by instantly communicating between them.
Slack is quite helpful since it works in real-time.
Moreover, a change in the mock-up is reflected and verified instantly.
Sharing In Figma Is Easy And Flexible
Figma has a function for sharing each file, frame, or page.
A sharing link is created for a page or a frame.
This link will bring you to the version of the Figma in the browser.
This selective sharing gives designers, connection developers, and proprietary products precisely what is needed to detect errors by the software tools such as Confluence or SharePoint.
The selective sharing feature attends to you and your team very well because you can use it from file to frame.
Figma Allows Easy Transmission To The Developer
Figma has code snippets corresponding to each frame or object in CSS, iOS, or Android.
Developers use the formats to view the design file they developed.
This feature enables design components to be viewed and edited by any developer who can access them.
This Figma tool allows you to inspect and view any file on any operating system that is used.
Using third-party tools aren’t needed to access the file.
However, Figma has co-operated with Zeplin, a third-party software.
Zeplin helps the team to keep, view, and organize files and CSS displays.
What Does Figma API Provide?
Figma already has the API feature that allows developers to integrate with any application based on a browser.
This feature enables companies to integrate real-time displays of design files into their applications.
An example is the Uber app.
Their large screens serve to display real-time design files in their company.
In this way, the designs are shared in the company.
For that reason, everyone’s feedback is highly appreciated in the company.
Atlassian’s JIRA software has also implemented another additional feature of Figma.
This feature enables product owners, developers, and quality engineers to monitor the latest version of any design the team develops.
Besides, Figma API function also performs a request for customers wishing to be added and upgraded to third parties.
It also serves to improve the functions of Figma.
Prototyping In Figma
Prototyping in Figma is easy and intuitive.
Figma uses a function that allows users to create transitions between frames.
Other instruments performing this feature do not need to be used to make slideshow-style prototypes, such as Marvel or InVision software.
In short, this feature enables everything that needs to be presented in a simple presentation involving transitions between frames.
Other instruments performing this feature do not need to be used to make slideshow-style prototypes, such as Marvel or InVision software.
Prototyping in Figma is simply done by tying the individual frames with arrows.
Figma prototypes can be distributed like Figma’s design files.
That means anyone who has permission can see the connection on which the prototype is located.
They can easily view the link and comment on the prototype.
These comments serve as feedback are then recorded in the Slack communication software that Fima uses.
Firstly, developers have the opportunity to see the workflow that takes place on the prototypes in real-time.
Then, they can leave messages directly to the designers.
Lastly, Designers will then take measurements and deliver CSS attributes from the prototype to developers.
In short, the prototyping in Figma is built to make it as easy as possible for the team to work securely.
Figma’s Team Libraries
Figma’s team systems are designed to be ideal for design systems.
Design systems have become a necessity for most companies around the world.
These needs are covered by components that can be reusable, scalable, and tokenized.
These components in Figma sample bins allow UX designers and front developers to use them.
Figma has a nonmodal library dialog that allows it to be used by the team for different components and styles and provides unlimited access.
This makes it possible to use component exemplars in their projects and ensure that it uses the exemplars’ latest versions.
The organization is done by frames and files that make it easy and flexible to use by you and your team.
Designers can make files full of components to organize a library of appropriate templates.
Another organizing option is to use the page’s components to organize the library.
Using frames in projects to create an organizational section in the team library is convenient.
One way to properly organize libraries is by having a project placed only on the components.
In this way, the entire files in frames will be appropriately arranged.
Figma libraries are pretty efficient to help the team organize without undue difficulty.
The Disadvantages of Figma
Figma is one of the software applications with the most favorable values for you and your team.
However, Figma, like everything in this world, has its drawbacks.
One of its disadvantages is that you always have to be online to enjoy the benefits it provides to the team.
The desktop application also has an offline form.
Thus your files will not be able to sync during use.
Synchronization will only take place when switched back online.
Offline mode also does not provide a backup to save information in a system crash or unexpected file incident.
It also allows you to work only with files that are already uploaded to the cloud.
In short, offline mode limits some of the essential features of Figma.
Another disadvantage is the low level of confidentiality.
The team can view what the developer is doing in real-time.
Therefore, if you are an artist or developer who keeps their privacy when working on a project, ignore this factor when working with Figma.
These drawbacks might seem insignificant and easily negligible compared to the abundance of positive values that Figma offers.
Pricing of Figma
One big problem with many design programs and platforms is pricing.
Things like high subscription fees can sometimes be real and can hurt consumers.
Not with Figma!
Figma provides three subscription plans that perfectly meet your requirements and expectations.
Free Plan
Figma’s free plan is essential for small businesses and freelancers.
It is easy to use and provides enough opportunities for small projects, and is mostly FREE.
The free starter plan has a limited number of contributors (two).
It is efficient for three projects with a 30-day history of their versions.
Project creation tools are accessible in this FREE plan without any restrictions.
One of the best things this plan offers is its unlimited cloud storage.
Moreover, it also allows the project you’re working on to be monitored by an unlimited number of people.
Figma is the ideal choice for designers or start-ups.
It is an ideal choice even for new designers who want to test their creativity and its limits.
Therefore, this plan allows people to do their first projects, and it’s completely FREE.
Professional Plan
The professional plan is worth $15 per designer or developer for one month, making it relatively affordable.
The valuable features that this plan offers are numerous.
It includes unlimited version history, an unlimited number of projects, and special projects for invitations only.
One of the most useful things that will make your work much easier is a shared library that the team can use at any time indefinitely.
This plan is the perfect choice for medium-sized businesses with medium-sized projects.
Therefore, this is the most universal of the plans that Figma offers.
Its value for money makes it one of the most popular plans of Figma by people.
Organizational Plan
The organizational plan is the most comprehensive plan that Figma offers.
It costs $45 per designer or developer for one month.
The features that this plan are:
- the ability to create centralized teams
- an administrator to be responsible for plug-ins
- a feature that allows single entry into a project
- advanced protection for your files and projects
Extended protection is vital for big business, which is the main part of the organizational plan’s user base.
It is important to note that this plan is only available with the annual subscription on which Figma offers a reduced price for its annual plan.
History And Funding of Figma Over The Year
Figma has been in the starting line-up since 2012 when Dylan Field and Evan Wallace began working on Figma.
Field and Wallace have a lot of ideas about a variety of things while they were students at Brown University.
One of these tools is precisely an engineer for designing designs working in the browser.
The idea for Figma came back in 2011 when they were still students.
2012, Wallace graduated from Brown University, and Fleet gave up on him to accept a Thiel scholarship.
This was the turning point in their lives because the scholarship Field was taking worth $100 000.
The money they took enabled them to pursue their start-up ideas.
That was when they decided to develop a design tool in the browser – Figma.
Dylan and Evan went to live in San Francisco to start their work on Figma.
This allowed them to work on their Figma project, full-time.
On December 3, 2015, Figma began offering its first free program.
The program serves as a preview that can be performed by invitees alone.
Figma collected $3.8 million in seed funding as early as June 2013.
The company raised $14 million in Series A funding in December 2015.
By then, Figma launched its first public release on September 27, 2016.
Then, in February 2018, Figma collected $25 million in Series B funding.
Next, The company also raised $40 million in Series C funding in February 2019.
And lastly, in April 2020, Figma raised $50 million in a round of Series D funding.
Figma is estimated to be worth $2 billion from data for April 2020.
For more information about Figma’s financials, funding, valuation, and investors, you can go to crunchbase.com.
Final Thoughts
To answer your question regarding what is Figma used for, here is a recap for you.
Figma is an intuitive and innovative tool to take over the entire design process.
The benefits that Figma offers are huge for both individuals and teams.
Figma’s ingenuity is due to browser accessibility, which is offered mainly in desktop programs.
Figma allows the flexible creation of unique projects, and it’s easy to work with it.
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