Figma's HUGE AI Updates: ConFig 2024 in 14-Minutes

EO
26 Jun 202415:38

TLDRFigma introduces groundbreaking AI updates at ConFig 2024, revolutionizing design workflows. New features include multi-select, AI-assisted design prompts, and a search for similar functionality, enhancing efficiency in finding and editing design elements. The launch of Figma Slides, an AI-powered presentation tool, and significant improvements in Dev mode, including code connect for design systems, showcase Figma's commitment to empowering designers and developers alike, streamlining the creation of unique products in an AI-driven future.

Takeaways

  • 😀 Figma has introduced significant AI updates, making design processes more efficient and user-friendly.
  • 📈 The multi-select feature and the ability to create apps like a pizza finder directly within Figma are highlighted as impressive advancements.
  • 🎨 Figma's 'Make' command facilitates the quick creation of design elements such as personal portfolios and contact forms.
  • 🔍 The 'Search for similar' command helps users find specific screens or elements within Figma files, streamlining the design search process.
  • 🛠️ AI-assisted design suggestions, such as replacing content or adjusting layouts, are now available to enhance productivity.
  • 🌐 Figma Slides is a new feature that integrates presentation capabilities directly within the Figma platform, offering automatic color adjustments and grid modes.
  • 📝 The 'Name layers' feature automates the process of naming layers in a design, saving time and reducing errors.
  • 🔄 AI can assist in prototyping by suggesting connections between screens, making the process of creating interactive designs more straightforward.
  • 🌀 The 'Suggest Auto layout' feature simplifies the setup of auto layout frames, improving the workflow for responsive design.
  • 📱 Updates to Dev mode include new views and statuses that cater to the iterative nature of design, making it easier for developers to access ready-for-Dev content.
  • 🔧 Code Connect, which links code to Figma components, has come out of beta with improvements, enhancing the integration between design and development.

Q & A

  • What is the main focus of the updates discussed in the Figma's HUGE AI Updates presentation?

    -The main focus of the updates is the integration of AI capabilities into Figma to enhance design processes, including features like multi-select, AI-generated designs, and improved search functionalities within Figma.

  • How does the AI feature in Figma help with creating a pizza finder app?

    -The AI feature allows users to type in a command like 'pizza finder app' and Figma generates a design with elements such as a map and a card for a selected restaurant, streamlining the design process.

  • What is the significance of the 'make it' command in Figma's AI updates?

    -The 'make it' command is a powerful tool that allows users to generate designs based on textual prompts, such as creating a personal portfolio or a specific type of application interface.

  • How does Figma's AI help with finding and navigating through design files?

    -Figma's AI updates include a 'search for similar' command that helps users find the right screen for an app within Figma files, even when the exact name of the file is not remembered.

  • What is the purpose of the 'confirm your pickup spot' search in the script?

    -This search is an example of how users can find specific screens within a Figma file by searching for a string or phrase they remember, making it easier to locate and edit relevant design elements.

  • How does the AI in Figma assist with overcoming the fear of the blank canvas for junior designers?

    -The AI features in Figma provide a starting point by generating initial designs based on user prompts, which can help junior designers overcome the initial hurdle of starting a new design from scratch.

  • What is the new feature introduced in Figma called 'Figma Slides'?

    -Figma Slides is a new feature that allows users to create presentations directly within Figma, with capabilities for automatic color updates, grid mode, and the ability to integrate interactive designs.

  • How does the 'Suggest Auto Layout' feature in Figma help with design consistency?

    -The 'Suggest Auto Layout' feature provides a set of frames that automatically adjust to fit content, ensuring a consistent layout across different design elements.

  • What is the role of 'Code Connect' in the updates for developers in Figma?

    -Code Connect is a feature that links Figma components with code in a developer's codebase, allowing for a more streamlined handoff from design to development and supporting an iterative design process.

  • What are the new features introduced in the 'Dev Mode' to support an iterative design process?

    -New features in 'Dev Mode' include an 'edited' state indicator, a 'ready for Dev' view, 'Focus View' for inspecting designs without clutter, and improved 'Code Connect' with support for various development frameworks.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 AI-Powered Design Tools in Figma

The speaker discusses the integration of AI into design tools, specifically Figma, to enhance productivity. They highlight the ease of creating apps within Figma, such as a pizza finder with a map and restaurant card, by simply typing in commands. The ability to change themes and generate content like personal portfolios for architects is demonstrated. The speaker also appreciates the search functionality for finding specific design files and the convenience of AI in overcoming the fear of starting a new design project. The paragraph concludes with the speaker's eagerness to explore these AI features further.

05:02

📑 Introducing Figma Slides and Prototyping with AI

This paragraph introduces Figma Slides, a new feature that streamlines the creation of presentations within Figma, offering automatic color and text adjustments, grid mode for an overview, and template picker for consistent styling. The speaker also touches on the challenges of prototyping, suggesting that AI can assist in defining connections between screens. They demonstrate the ease of navigating through a prototype and adjusting it for different screen sizes and languages, emphasizing the importance of these features for staying in the flow of design work.

10:04

🛠️ Enhancing Developer Experience with Figma's Dev Mode

The speaker focuses on updates to Figma's Dev mode, aimed at improving the handoff process between designers and developers. They mention the introduction of 'Suggest Auto Layout' for easier design setup and the integration of the latest iOS 18 and Material 3 design kits. The paragraph also covers the overhaul of the assets panel for better organization and searchability. Additionally, the speaker discusses the new 'Ready for Dev' view and 'Focus View' for a cleaner inspection of designs, as well as the advancements in 'Code Connect' for linking code with Figma components, all of which are designed to streamline the development process.

15:07

🔮 The Future of Design with AI and Spatial Computing

In the final paragraph, the speaker contemplates the future of design with AI, suggesting that spatial computing and the integration of human emotions with AI will be significant. They predict a shift in the role of designers towards problem-solving and strategic thinking, as AI takes over some visual direction tasks. The speaker encourages experimentation with various AI tools to understand their capabilities and limitations, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the evolving field of design.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the context of the video, AI is central to Figma's updates, enabling features like automated design suggestions, content replacement, and intelligent layer naming. For example, the script mentions using AI to create a 'pizza finder app' or to 'make an image' and 'remove the background' of that image, showcasing AI's role in streamlining the design process.

💡Figma

Figma is a cloud-based interface design and collaboration tool used by professionals in various fields, including UI/UX design. The video discusses significant updates to Figma, particularly those involving AI enhancements. The script references new features like 'multi-select' and 'Figma Slides,' indicating Figma's expansion into presentation design and improved collaboration.

💡Figma Slides

Figma Slides is a new feature introduced in the video that allows users to create presentations directly within the Figma platform. This feature is significant as it integrates design and presentation creation, offering a seamless workflow for designers. The script highlights how Figma Slides automatically updates text colors and reflows content, providing a dynamic and efficient presentation tool.

💡Auto Layout

Auto Layout in Figma is a feature that automatically adjusts the layout of design elements based on predefined constraints. The script discusses an improvement called 'Suggest Auto Layout,' which makes it easier for users to implement this feature, ensuring consistent and responsive design across different screen sizes and orientations.

💡Prototype

In the context of design, a prototype is an early sample or model of a product that allows designers to test and refine their ideas. The video mentions using AI to assist in creating prototypes, indicating a more interactive and efficient way to preview and iterate designs. The script gives an example of making connections between screens and incorporating search functionality into the prototype.

💡Responsive Design

Responsive design is an approach to web design that makes web pages render well on different devices and screen sizes, from desktops to mobile phones. The video script discusses a new responsive setting for the Prototype viewer, emphasizing Figma's commitment to creating designs that adapt to various environments.

💡Code Connect

Code Connect is a feature that links Figma components to the corresponding code in a developer's codebase, facilitating a smoother handoff from design to development. The script mentions that Code Connect is coming out of beta with improvements, including support for React, React Native, iOS, and Android, which is crucial for developers working with these technologies.

💡Ready for Dev

The 'Ready for Dev' status in Figma indicates that a design is complete and prepared for development. The video introduces a new 'Ready for Dev' view that helps designers and developers track which parts of a design are ready to be coded. This feature is part of Figma's efforts to improve the workflow between design and development teams.

💡Focus View

Focus View is a new feature in Figma that removes distractions from the canvas, allowing users to concentrate on the specific design they want to inspect. The script describes how Focus View cuts out the clutter, providing a clearer and more detailed view of the design, which is particularly useful for inspecting intricate details during the design review process.

💡Material 3

Material 3 is the latest design language by Google, which focuses on adaptability and dynamic interactions within digital interfaces. The video script mentions the integration of Material 3 kits in Figma, allowing designers to create designs that adhere to this modern design language, and switch between themes like light, dark, and high contrast with ease.

💡Spatial Computing

Spatial Computing refers to the integration of digital information into the physical world in a way that is context-aware and interactive. While not directly discussed in the script, the mention of spatial computing in the notes suggests a future direction for AI and design, where AI could potentially enhance the way humans interact with their environments.

Highlights

Figma introduces AI updates at ConFig 2024, enhancing design and prototyping efficiency.

Multi-select feature in Figma allows for more efficient design selection and manipulation.

Figma's AI can generate a pizza finder app with map and restaurant card from a simple text prompt.

AI in Figma can create a personal portfolio website for an architect with a single command.

Figma's prompt feature assists in overcoming the fear of the blank canvas for new designers.

AI helps in finding the Figma file needed for a design, streamlining the search process.

Figma's AI can suggest similar components and streamline the design process.

AI capabilities in Figma allow for easy renaming of layers with a single command.

Figma's AI can prototype applications by suggesting connections between screens.

Figma Slides is introduced as a new product, enhancing presentation creation within Figma.

Figma Slides offers automatic color and text adjustments for a cohesive presentation look.

Grid mode in Figma Slides provides a bird's-eye view of the entire presentation.

Figma's new template picker ensures a consistent presentation style with various templates.

AI in Figma can help in resizing and adjusting content within a recipe app prototype.

Figma's AI can automatically remove backgrounds from images, streamlining the design process.

AI features in Figma are now in beta and will roll out with the UI3 beta.

Code Connect in Figma links codebase files to Figma components, enhancing the design-to-code workflow.

Figma introduces new Dev mode updates to support iterative design processes.

Focus View in Figma removes canvas clutter, simplifying the inspection of designs.

Figma's new 'Ready for Dev' view organizes work in progress and ready-for-development content.

Figma's AI updates aim to differentiate designers by enhancing their craft in a future with AI.