Figma 3.0 (Dev Mode, AI, Slides and more)
TLDRFigma announces major updates at their Config conference, including Figma AI, UI3, and Figma Slides. Figma AI aims to streamline the design process with features like visual search and efficiency updates, allowing for faster idea-to-product development. UI3 offers a redesigned interface to enhance user experience, while Figma Slides enters the presentation software market. Dev mode receives updates to improve the iterative design process, with new views and status updates to keep designs and code in sync.
Takeaways
- 🚀 Figma has announced a series of updates including Figma 3.0, Figma AI, UI3, and Figma Slides during their Config conference.
- 🤖 Figma AI aims to streamline the design process, allowing designers to think bigger and build faster with AI-assisted features.
- 🔍 The introduction of Visual Search is intended to improve the search functionality within Figma, making it easier to find components and design files.
- 🛠️ Efficiency updates are being launched to automate tedious tasks, allowing designers to generate images, reframe text, wire up prototypes, and rename layers more effectively.
- ⚙️ UI3 is a redesigned interface for Figma that aims to be more immersive and component-centered, providing a better workflow experience.
- 📊 Figma Slides is a new feature targeting the presentation space, aiming to make the creation of slide decks more efficient and integrated with design processes.
- 🔄 Updates to Dev Mode focus on supporting iterative design processes, improving the handoff between design and development with new views and status updates.
- 💬 The new 'Ready for Dev' view in Dev Mode helps developers focus on what needs to be worked on by filtering and listing design updates.
- 🔗 Code Connect is designed to bridge the gap between design systems and code, making it easier for developers to use design system components in their codebase.
- 📈 Quality of life improvements include better auto layout, UI kits, and a responsive prototype viewer for more efficient and intuitive design and development workflows.
- 🎨 Figma is also working on improvements for agencies and freelancers, focusing on simplifying billing and project handoff processes.
Q & A
What was the main focus of Figma's conference 'Config'?
-The main focus of Figma's conference 'Config' was the announcement of new features and updates, including Figma AI, UI3, Figma Slides, and improvements to existing Figma features.
How does Figma AI aim to transform the design process?
-Figma AI aims to transform the design process by enabling designers to think bigger and build faster, automating tedious tasks, and providing features like visual search to find design elements more efficiently.
What is the purpose of the visual search feature in Figma?
-The visual search feature in Figma is designed to help users find design elements more easily by searching for anything from icons to entire design files using a screenshot, selected frame, or a simple sketch.
What is the significance of the updates to Dev mode in Figma?
-The updates to Dev mode in Figma are significant as they are designed to support an iterative design process, speed up developer workflow, and bring designs and code closer together, making it easier for developers and designers to collaborate.
What is Figma Slides, and how does it relate to presentation software?
-Figma Slides is a new product by Figma aimed at making PowerPoint-type presentations faster and more efficient. It is designed to integrate design tools into the presentation process, allowing for better collaboration between designers and non-designers.
What improvements were made to the Figma interface with UI3?
-UI3 introduces a more immersive canvas, component-centered UI, and a new icon set. It is designed to be more space-efficient, respect muscle memory and workflow patterns, and pave the way for new features without disrupting the user experience.
How does the new 'Make Designs' feature in Figma help users start a project?
-The 'Make Designs' feature in Figma allows users to quickly generate UI layouts and component options from text prompts. It provides a first draft to help users explore various design directions and kickstart their design process.
What is the role of 'Code Connect' in bridging the gap between design and code?
-Code Connect serves to bridge the gap between design and code by surfacing connected code snippets in the component playground, streamlining setup, and providing support for various frameworks and languages, making it easier for developers to implement designs.
What are the benefits of the responsive prototype viewer in Figma?
-The responsive prototype viewer in Figma allows users to experience their designs on any screen size. It respects constraints and auto layout properties as the viewer window is resized, enabling users to check the responsive behavior of their designs.
How does Figma plan to make the platform more accessible for agencies and freelancers?
-Figma plans to make the platform more accessible for agencies and freelancers by improving billing architecture, simplifying project handoff, and making it easier to collaborate with external clients and streamline billing.
Outlines
🌟 Figma's Conference Announcements
Figma's conference, Config, unveiled several new features and updates, including Figma AI UI3 and Figma Slides, alongside improvements to Dev mode and existing Figma features. The script discusses the significance of design in the era of AI and Figma's unique position in the design industry. It also mentions the need for better search functionality within Figma and introduces the concept of visual search, which uses AI to help users find design assets more efficiently, even with non-matching search terms.
🛠️ Enhancing Design Efficiency with AI
The script highlights a suite of AI-powered features aimed at automating tedious design tasks, thereby increasing efficiency. These features include generating images, rephrasing text, and automating prototype wiring and layer renaming. It introduces 'Make Designs,' a tool that provides a starting point for UI layouts and components from text prompts. The discussion also touches on the potential usefulness of these tools for developers, especially in the context of improving productivity on the design side.
🎨 UI3: Figma's Redesigned Interface
Figma introduces UI3, a major overhaul of its interface, which aims to streamline and simplify the user experience. The redesign focuses on an immersive canvas, component-centered UI, and a new icon set. It addresses the challenge of maintaining user muscle memory while innovating and improving the workflow. The script also mentions the gradual rollout of UI3 and the option for users to provide feedback to refine the interface.
📈 Figma Slides and Updates to Dev Mode
The script introduces Figma Slides, a new product aimed at improving the presentation-making process, especially for those who are not designers. It also discusses updates to Dev mode, which includes new views and statuses to better support the iterative design process and to keep designs and code in sync. The updates aim to make it easier for developers to find what they should be working on and to understand changes made by designers.
🔗 Code Connect and Design System Integration
Figma's Code Connect is highlighted as a tool that bridges the gap between design and code by syncing design systems with codebases. The script explains the benefits of having a design system in Figma and the importance of developers adopting it. It also covers the process of setting up Code Connect, including importing a Figma package and linking components to URLs in the design system.
📱 Responsive Design and Quality of Life Improvements
The script concludes with a discussion on the new responsive prototype viewer in Figma, which allows users to experience designs on any screen size. It also mentions improvements to Auto layout, UI kits, and other quality of life enhancements that aim to make designing more intuitive and efficient. The responsive prototype viewer is particularly noted for its ability to respect constraints and auto layout properties as the viewer window is resized.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Figma
💡AI
💡UI3
💡Dev Mode
💡Visual Search
💡Prototype Viewer
💡Code Connect
💡Auto Layout
💡UI Kits
💡Figma Slides
Highlights
Figma announces updates including Figma 3.0, AI, Slides, and Dev Mode improvements.
The importance of design in differentiating products in a world increasingly influenced by AI is emphasized.
Figma AI aims to help teams explore possibilities and unblock creativity through an end-to-end process.
Visual search feature introduced to enhance finding elements within Figma's design systems.
AI tagging is expected to address the issue of poor labeling in Figma's search functionality.
Figma's unique position with a design team building for other designers is highlighted.
AI features are bundled to automate tedious tasks, improving efficiency in design workflows.
New capabilities allow for the generation of realistic images and automatic text rewriting.
Figma introduces 'Make Designs', a tool for generating UI layouts from text prompts.
Figma AI's beta period will be free for all users, with potential usage limits post-beta.
UI3, the third redesign of Figma's interface, aims to streamline and simplify the user experience.
UI3 introduces a more immersive canvas, component-centered UI, and a new icon set.
Figma Slides is a new addition, aiming to improve the process of creating presentations.
Updates to Dev Mode include a 'ready for Dev' view and focus view for better iterative design process support.
Code Connect is made generally available, improving the link between design systems and code.
Quality of life improvements include Auto layout enhancements and a responsive prototype viewer.
Figma aims to improve billing architecture to better support agencies and freelancers.