What Is Figma?

Figma is a web-first design suite used to create user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) for websites, mobile apps, and other digital products. It’s built to support real-time collaboration — multiple people can work on the same file simultaneously, leave comments, and provide feedback without the need for file sync or version confusion.

Core Capabilities

Collaborative Design Workspace

Work with teammates in real time on shared design files. Figma’s multiplayer environment lets designers, product managers, and engineers co-edit visuals, leave contextual comments, and ensure alignment during the entire design process.

Vector Graphics & UI Tools

Figma offers robust vector editing tools that allow designers to draw shapes, create scalable graphics, and build UI layouts with precision. Features like auto layout and responsive grids help maintain consistent spacing and alignment across screen sizes.

Prototyping & Interactive Flows

Turn static screens into interactive, animated prototypes without leaving the design canvas. Designers can define transitions, gestures, and user flows to simulate real app experiences, making it easier to test and iterate UX concepts.

Developer Handoff & Dev Mode

Figma’s Dev Mode bridges design and development by providing developers with detailed specs, code snippets, and annotations directly from the design file. This helps maintain accuracy in implementation and improves collaboration between teams.

Expanding Beyond Design

FigJam for Brainstorming

FigJam is Figma’s online whiteboard tool that enables teams to brainstorm, diagram workflows, plan research, and visually explore ideas together using sticky notes, shapes, drawings, and more.

Figma Slides for Presentation

Figma Slides is a collaborative slide deck creator that integrates with design and prototype content, allowing teams to build presentations that include interactive elements and design assets.

Figma Make & Sites

Figma Make introduces AI-driven prompt-to-app workflows that can turn designs into interactive prototypes or functional UI concepts. Figma Sites enables designers to take layouts created in Figma and publish responsive websites directly from the canvas.

Design Systems & Team Libraries

Create reusable components, styles, variables, and shared libraries that help maintain visual consistency across projects and teams. Figma’s design systems aid in scaling UI work across large organizations.

Integrations & Extensibility

Figma connects with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, and GitHub — enabling designers to integrate design workflows with broader project management, development, and collaboration ecosystems. A rich plugin ecosystem allows users to extend functionality and automate tasks.