What is Figma? Features of Figma with its Pros and Cons
Today we have Figma, one of the most popular interface designing applications. This software is making its strong presence among other popular designing tools. Whenever we talk about interface designing software, many people always prefer Adobe XD but this software is giving a tough competition to Adobe XD and provides great features and functionality. First, let’s see what is Figma.
What is Figma?
Figma is a prototyping tool, vector graphics editor, and interface design application that runs in the browser, which means it is a web-based software. It also has some additional offline features by desktop applications for Windows and macOS. This was founded in 2012 by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace. On 22 October 2019, Figma Community was released by Figma, which allowed designers to publish their work for others to remix and view.
Figma also has Figma Mirror companion apps for IOS and Android which allows users to view Figma Prototypes on mobile devices. The main objective of Figma is to provide a great user interface and user experience design, by giving importance to real-time collaborations. It provides all the necessary tools needed for the design phase of your project like vector tools that have prototyping capabilities and capable of fully-fledged illustrations.
Impressive Features of Figma
As I have mentioned Figma is a browser-based software and needs an active internet connection to function in the desktop version. Because of this browser-based feature, it has many impressive features. Let’s see what these features are:
1. Responsive Design with Auto Layout
- Stretch to fill: Auto Layout component of Figma can stretch right and left (or bottom and top) for effortless responsive design.
- Less manual resizing: Buttons can resize and readjust with their text and lists can rearrange automatically when items are moved from one place to another
- The design speaks development: Auto Layout’s direction, padding, and spacing settings translate directly into the code which simplifies the developer’s problem.
2. Augment and automate your work with plugins
- Private plugins: Customers from any organization can create and distribute private plugins within their company.
- Plugins for each and everything: It has plugins for Stock imagery, icons, color accessibility, charts, diagrams, and many more.
- Easier development: Development is much easier with it and if you can design a website then you can build your own plugin.
3. Prototyping like a real experience
- Optimized for mobile: Momentum scrolling and device frames make the prototyping feel like the real experience.
- Intuitive build: Effortlessly connect UI elements and choose your desired animations and interactions.
- Interactions: Perform subtle interactions, like while hovering, on click, while pressing a button, and much more.
4. All things in one single tool
- Shareable prototype: View your shared link of the prototype from anywhere with an internet
- Embedded commenting: You can comment in a prototype and it will be carried on your design file.
- All-in-one platform: Easily toggle between your live prototype and design file. Edits appear instantly in the prototype
5. Join and complete a project as a team
- Edit with the team in real-time: Design along with your tam and run global design critiques.
- Embedded commenting: You can comment in a prototype and it will be carried on your design file.
- History to know everything: analyze who changed what and revert back in time as per need.
6. Invite Friends into your design field
- Share links to files: Share a link to your Figma file and view from anywhere.
- Invite the people you want: Control who can add comment, view, or edit the files.
- Share or embed prototypes: Share a link to your prototype and embed it in your preferred tool
7. Data meet design systems
- Measure the impact of design: Effortlessly demonstrate adoption and reach to your organization.
- Make updates that matter: Analyze which component is most used and detached to find new opportunities to improve.
- Understand library usage: Know all details about how teams are using design systems.
8. Teams share the same language
- Reusable components: It allows overriding of components and helps in laying the foundation of your system.
- Connected to code: Invite developers from worldwide to inspect files, export assets, and grab code snippets.
- Easy overrides: Change properties of layers in a component without detaching it from the master.
Pros and Cons of Figma
How to Download Figma on various platforms
Downloading and installing Figma is very easy and doesn’t need any prior knowledge of any software. Just click on the below links and it will start downloading automatically. As I have told earlier Figma comes in two modes, one is the desktop version for Windows and macOS and another is the Figma mirror for Android and IOS devices. Below are the links to download Figma effortlessly.
Desktop apps
Mobile Apps
Conclusion
I hope I have given you all the necessary details about Figma and the features of Figma along with its Pros and Cons. I have also provided how to download Figma on all platforms. Figma is a rising superstar among already popular designing apps. So, I recommend you give it a try and experience what this designing tool has to offer. Do you agree with me? Please leave a comment. Hope you like the content and the information shared by me. If you find this post knowledgeable and learned something new and interesting today then please share this post with your friends and family members and help the Optimistic Coder to spread informational contents. Thank You.
