Figma's Fiasco or the Dark Side of Recent Updates
This post in the original (eng) https://www.setproduct.com/blog/dark-side-of-figmas-updates
Chapter 1: At Some Point Everything Went Wrong
Watching the recent conference CONFIG24I couldn't get rid of the unpleasant itch.
The more the itch got to me, the more I realized that Figma’s priorities had shifted from improving service to increasing profits.
I kept asking questions:
What happened to Figma, which we all loved so much?
Why is money the priority, and not a list of features from users that we ask for?
And if Figma is EVERYTHING, then what does this promise for design tools in the future?
Adobe deal failsseems to have been a turning point.
Figma's focus on building features using AI to increase user adoption is a sharp turn from the service's original concept.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against using artificial intelligence, but it seems like a lot of effort is being spent on something “fashionable” but not really needed.
The automatic layer renaming feature was a highlight of Figma, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the lack of attention to user requests.
Chapter 2: The interface has been updated, but why?
The new interface feels confusing.
In an attempt to cut out the clutter, Figma has made simple tasks more difficult.
Key features are hidden, and what would have previously taken one click now takes two or three. The new interface seems designed for hobbyists, not power users or professional designers who have been dedicated to Figma.
What if they are trying to appeal to a wider audience, at the expense of those working with complex design systems?
And I am not alone in my disappointment.
Many users have complained about the floating white panels and toolbar that blend into the frames and make the workflow difficult. Figma seems to have forgotten that these are the main tools for designers.
The updated design did not bring any improvements, but it made the work process worse.
Chapter 3: Is AI inside Figma really necessary?
As things stand, Figma's AI features are hyped but useless. Even testers they are not sure about them.
It's clear that Figma is trying to make sure that the general public can handle their tasks on their own without the help of designers.
What about designers who spend years honing their craft?
Do we really need artificial intelligence to do our jobs?
It seems like Figma is trying to become the next Canva, lowering the bar, only excluding the latter's ease of use. In this case, the AI features are useless, since everything has to be “finished”.
One user noted that the AI functionality did not speed up his workflow at all, but only made it more difficult.
Another user noted that AI features are useless even for creating basic scenarios, although any designer can create them a priori.
So why is Figma wasting its time and resources on something that is useless?
Chapter 4: The Four Major Weaknesses
The new user interface and AI features are just the tip of the iceberg.
I've thoroughly combed through the Figma subreddit and found out that designers face four main problems when working on it:
Floating panels: they take up too much space and make it difficult to use the ruler and guides. Until you roll up the panel, constant irritation is guaranteed.
Floating toolbar: it blends into the frames and is extremely difficult to use. Many designers asked to move it up or down, but Figma ignored their request.
Illogicality of the toolbar: Figma moved all the useful features to the right panel and added them to “More Actions”. Are they intentionally burying all the most popular features?
Nested instances are collapsed by default: This is my personal pain point. I have to manually open each accordion for each instance I need to configure. It's time consuming and annoying.
Chapter 5: Conclusions
Figma's failure is a classic example of technocapitalism.
Figma prioritizes profit over improving its features for the convenience of users. They spent the first few years building a base of designers, and now they are starting to unpack them.
The new interface and artificial intelligence features are just an attractive mask, behind which are hidden a number of functional shortcomings that complicate the work process.
So what are the alternatives?
Penpot is one option, but it still has a number of its drawbacks.
Sketch is another option, but unfortunately it is also not ideal.
Maybe it's time for a new player to enter the market and change it?
As one user noted, “I don't really care what Figma does. That's their business. But as soon as better software comes along, I'll pick it up.”
