Figma Reviews

“bringing convenience”

Pros

Working in the software is really convenient since it runs entirely on the web so there's no need to install anything.

Cons

Although the software is free to use, larger teams need advanced permissions which can be a limitation.

“Effective design toolkit”

Pros

The design tools and plugin options feel incredibly effective and there's a lot of flexibility in what we can create.

Cons

Prototype screen support is still somewhat limited especially when trying to visualize layouts across different device sizes.

“excellent community design sharing”

Pros

It does a really good job with community resources and it makes it simple for users to share design systems, templates and components.

Cons

A limitation with the software is its offline functions since users can only access files they worked on recently.

“versatile prototyping for any screen”

Pros

Whenever I need to build a working prototype to present an idea, the software is one of the strongest and most widely used options out there especially for showcasing web app or mobile app designs. The prototypes are highly interactive and they can be displayed in almost any format whether it's on a phone, tablet or laptop. It also gives us the flexibility to adjust and customize the resolution for nearly any screen size.

Cons

One setback is that the software uses its own .fig file format so importing projects from other formats like .xd is fairly limited. That can be a bit frustrating when moving over from other design tools and trying to bring existing work into the software. Still once you get past that hurdle you can create designs either in the desktop app or directly in the browser and the functions is very similar in both.

“saves time”

Pros

Using the software feels very easy and the wide range of useful libraries and plugins saves me a lot of time. The biggest advantage for me is the component based design system since I can make a change once and have it update across all screens.

Cons

An issue comes up during UI presentations in full screen mode. If I move the navigation toward the top area, the software's default status bar appears and at times that prevents me from being able to perform the CTA.

“Complete powerhouse”

Pros

From an agency perspective the software feels like the kind of all in one platform you genuinely need. It combines powerful prototyping, strong design features and excellent workshop tools in one connected workspace. It's useful for far more than just the prototyping everyone talks about too: presentations, brand guidelines and plenty more can all be built there. The huge plugin library also adds a lot and really boosts what the platform can do.

Cons

There honestly aren't many negatives to point out but one limitation is the lack of flexibility when adjusting screen size while presenting prototypes. There are times when zooming out would be helpful yet the preset presentation options make that harder than it should be. Hopefully the software Slides ends up fixing that.

“dynamic design kits”

Pros

Getting started with the software feels very easy especially since there are so many ready made design kits online that you can find with a quick Google search. The components feature is especially useful because it makes it fast to reuse and replicate sections that come up often.

Cons

At times it can be a bit fiddly and components occasionally land outside the frame where you intended to place them. It's usually a simple fix though just check the layers and drag the component back into the right frame.

“confusing icons and constant frustration”

Pros

It looks polished on the surface which helps hide how bad the app actually feels to use.

Cons

From my perspective almost everything about it is a problem. It's one of the least clear apps I've ever worked with and the icons do nothing to help you understand what action you're supposed to take. For beginners it's absolutely awful. Even in a classroom where we were being taught how to use it most of the class ended up genuinely frustrated to the point of tears and even the teacher seemed confused about what they were supposed to be showing us. If you're an educator I honestly would not recommend downloading this at all. I could hand code what I'm trying to build faster than I could make it inside this miserable application.

“Love the system”

Pros

Really impressive tool that's quick to learn and very complete when it comes to mockup design. It doesn't offer a huge number of tools but the ones it does have are perfectly integrated and work very well. You can create anything from simple concepts to much more advanced projects including full design systems and interactive prototypes.

Cons

UI3 for the software still hasn't been rolled out to everyone even after several months. There are also a few bugs and it can be quite resource hungry when working on a large design system. On top of that some paid plugins really feel like features that should already be included directly in the software.

“strong collaboration for UI/UX”

Pros

The software works really well as a collaborative tool for UI/UX design.

Cons

One limitation is that it can't create responsive prototypes and doesn't offer breakpoints for components.

“accessible anywhere online”

Pros

Being online is a real advantage since there's no software to install so I can access it from anywhere on any computer.

Cons

Getting comfortable with the tool can be challenging at first but the software's large community makes it much easier to learn if you're willing to put in the time.

“collaborative design tool”

Pros

The amount you can do with it feels almost unlimited and the range of features is impressive. The interface is enjoyable to work in, it's user friendly and collaborating with other people is very convenient.

Cons

It does seem a bit difficult to figure out but I'm sure it would get even better once I spend more time learning all of the features.

“realtime collaboration is great”

Pros

Working together in real time is one of my favorite things about the software. The interface feels accessible and it makes creating designs feel effortless.

Cons

I honestly haven't run into any downsides at this point. Everything has been going really well so far.

“Not much to complain about”

Pros

I think it is a thoughtfully crafted tool made by designers who really understand how people work. As a UX/UI designer I'd be completely lost without it especially since I haven't used any competing products. FigJam is something I genuinely enjoy as well and I was excited when it launched because I had previously worked with Miro and Mural and really disliked switching back and forth between separate platforms. Having the software and FigJam in the same ecosystem makes my workflow much more efficient especially because I can move designs between them without any trouble.

Cons

There's very little to complain about. The biggest challenge is that advanced design work is slightly difficult and there still don't seem to be enough tutorials covering everything. On top of that some of the tutorials that do exist aren't always updated to reflect the latest features. Because of that I end up depending a lot on independent creators who share helpful guides and tutorials on Medium and YouTube.

“powerful design toolkit”

Pros

Feels like a real alternative to the Adobe Suite but without the high price tag. It gives you pretty much everything needed for prototyping, UX/UI design, graphics work and a lot more.

Cons

At first getting familiar with the menus and all the features can be a bit challenging.

“smooth to use”

Pros

Viewing product prototypes feels really smooth, almost like using PowerPoint but better.

Cons

Something that's missing is a navigation pane so it's hard to tell whether I've reached the next slide or page.

“Great results”

Pros

Being able to collaborate on web design in real time is the best part and the offline access for users is also really helpful when internet connection is limited.

Cons

The more advanced design code features can be challenging to work with and the pricing structure feels a bit hard to justify.

“good for UX teams”

Pros

Has been the best web based UX design tool for our needs! It lets my team collaborate on a single design at the same time which has been incredibly useful. The vector editing tools are powerful and essential for our projects. It's also simple to use and integrates well with JIRA. We rely on it for all the UX design work on our web application.

Cons

A downside is that when the internet connection is slow, performance suffers and designs can take a while to load.

“usable design tracking”

Pros

The usability is one of the best parts and it also makes it simple to track and manage designs based on the product timeline.

Cons

At times it can be difficult to learn as a developer when trying to make small tweaks.

“the software clicks quickly”

Pros

After a few months of using the software, I can say it has been pretty approachable to pick up even though I still do not know the program inside and out yet. Within just a few weeks, I had already learned a lot and it feels like the more time I spend working in it, the more confident and capable I become.

Cons

One part of the software that still bothers me is how layers are stored in documents because they can get confusing at times. I am also not a fan of the copy-and-paste behavior and it is frustrating that comments placed within an artboard cannot be copied over to another folder.