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Product designers have access to a wide range of tools, but constantly switching between them—whether building websites or crafting vector graphics—can be inefficient and costly. Enter Figma, a collaborative, web-based design tool that’s become a favorite in the industry. In fact, according to the Design Tools Survey, nearly 73% of participants now use Figma as their primary UI design tool, giving it a stellar rating of 4.68 out of 5. It’s no surprise that Figma has surpassed Sketch as the go-to choice for designers, and excitement around it continues to grow.
We spoke to 10 developers who all agreed: Figma is a game-changer. They shared insights on how Figma has transformed their design process and how it pairs with other tools to enhance software development. Let's explore their experiences and see why Figma is revolutionizing the way teams design.
Q. Is Figma the best tool to use for product design out there?
Andrea Lombarović | UX/UI Designer at Kodius | LinkedIn | Fun Fact: I love playing video games and cooking.
Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Andrea has been at Kodius for just under a year and works on product design, stakeholder meetings, redesigning the Kodius website and visual content on social media content. She’s very appreciative of how Figma alleviates any anxieties she has around losing what she is working on. This frees her up to work on other important tasks and projects at Kodius:
"I do think Figma is the best tool right now - it's fast, web-based (if necessary) and enables easy collaboration with other team members that are not designers. Other than that, it has an impeccable user interface and allows for a frictionless design flow - no need to change software for photo or vector editing, and the best thing of all - there's no need to save and store files which removes the possibility of losing work or simply forgetting to save before an error happens."
Alexandra Mandieva | UI Designer at Devision | Linkedin | Fun Fact: My perfect day ends with the fusion of two of my favorite things: art and science, aka video games.
With just over 12 years at Devision, Alexandra is a web designing pro who, like Andrea, finds respite in video games after a long day at work. For Alexandra, Figma is the all-in-one solution she needs and the strong community around this platform ensures that she has expert support when any issues arise:
"I rarely combine it with any other tools. It is very easy to learn and has all the necessary tools…in one place. Stakeholders can explore prototypes and leave comments on the spot. Developers can easily inspect components and export assets. It has lots of plugins, a strong community, and is highly supported."
Marta Mielcarek | UI Team Leader at intent | LinkedIn | Fun Fact: Oh no, I am not good at this kind of stuff ;D
Based in Gdańsk, Poland, Marta has the dynamic job of bringing designers and developers together to execute fascinating IoT projects. Like Alexandra, Marta remarked on the gifts of plugins that Figma has to offer while entertaining how Artificial Intelligence (AI) might inform how the platform develops:
"Figma is presently the most potent instrument for UX/UI designers. Furthermore, I'm thrilled when they finally announced developed tokens! Figma also offers a multitude of useful plugins that enhance work efficiency. Nevertheless, Artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionize the future. I'm curious to know whether Figma will undergo a major update or whether a new tool like Uizard Autodesigner will emerge."
Marta at intent
Dino Adanić | Product Designer at Cinnamon Agency | LinkedIn | Fun Fact: I'm a Formula 1 enthusiast and I can put Ron Swanson's quotes in every conversation.
Fascinated by design systems and branding, Dino is coming up on 2 years at Cinnamon Agency. For him, Figma makes communication between team members, as well as clients, a breeze. Working within a streamlined interface made him realize that the platform was accessible for those new to Figma as well:
"It is also great for collaboration because multiple team members can work on the same file simultaneously. It also has a range of useful features like version history and commenting, making it easy to communicate with colleagues and clients. Additionally, Figma has a clean and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to learn and use, even for beginners."
Dino at Cinnamon Agency
Srdjan Trkulja | UI/UX Designer at DVC Solutions | LinkedIn | Fun Fact: After a hard day of designing, I like to relax with a good book or with heavy weights.
With just over a year at DVC Solutions, Srdjan has been using Figma for almost 2 years in his role as UI/UX Designer. For him, the Auto Layout feature on the platform was an absolute game changer. With an increased workflow and productivity, he could relax just a little bit more when reading or lifting weights after work:
“Auto layout is one of the features that make Figma the best tool, and once you learn how to use it, your workflow skyrockets. All in all, my design life changed when I started using it."
Srdjan at DVC Solutions
Amra Pasanovic | Head of UX/UI Design & Research at RUBICON | LinkedIn | Fun Fact: I speak fast in all languages, even the ones I don't speak very well.
With a penchant for speaking fast, Amra expects the product design tools she works with to operate just as speedily. Like Srdjan, Amra spoke highly of Figma’s Auto Layout feature while indicating there is definitely room for improvement:
"The Auto Layout feature works like a charm once you get the hang of it, but again, it should be built upon further. They continue to grow and improve, it helps you optimize your work and keep it all in place, you can keep track of your work history...it doesn't do absolutely everything you need, but no tool does…Remember your keyboard shortcuts, it will save you lots of time."
Amra at RUBICON
Q. Do you combine it with a different tool, or do you have a preferred alternative?
Patricia Vulc | Senior Software Engineer & UI/UX Designer at FXBITS | LinkedIn | Fun fact: Two friends and I have a fishing YouTube channel called " Vorbe-n Stuf.” We're not famous YET. It's only in Romanian.
Patricia has been at FXBITS for over 4 years, where she works as a full-time Software Engineer when she’s not fishing or creating content about fishing. She brought our attention to one shortcoming of Figma as well as the possibilities of combining it with other tools:
“As with all software, there are some bugs. For example, on my Mac I'm always confronted with the zoom in/zoom out glitch, but I can easily go over it and I know for sure the team behind it will take care of everything in time. It's worth mentioning that Figma can be integrated with tools like Jira, Slack, and Trello. This minimizes the need to switch between different applications."
Patricia at FXBITS
Alexandru Matei | UX Designer at Digitalya | LinkedIn | Fun Fact: I like reminding myself of people and experiences that come along in life, so I always have a camera with me.
In his three years at Digitalya, Alexandru has consistently maintained that Figma allows for ever-expanding possibilities. However, he knows he can do his best work with the help of a few other programs as well:
"For me it's like a Swiss Army knife. It's really feature-rich and it's limited only by your imagination…I also use Photoshop and Illustrator or even After Effects (you can add GIFs or even videos in Figma) to complement the experience."
Alexandru at Digitalya
Sylwia Forysinska | Senior UX/UI Designer at Railwaymen | LinkedIn | Fun Fact: I’m a nighttime illustrator.
Designing by day and illustrating by night, Sylwia has been at Railwaymen for over 13 years! Of the 10 experts we spoke with, Sylwia was the only one who reminded us that while Figma is excellent in so many ways, there is no single perfect product design tool:
"For some specific cases, I would use UXpin, which allows you to provide more logic into prototypes and fast export to code, which can help with initial user testing. Therefore, it's difficult to say which tool is the best, as it ultimately comes down to personal preference and the project's specific needs. "
Simona Pejovska | UI/UX Designer at Web Factory | LinkedIn
Full-time for over 6 years at Web Factory, Simona is well-versed in both Sketch and Figma. She appreciates the ease with which she was able to transition to using Figma:
"We use both Sketch and Figma because they each have their own strong points. Personally, I slightly prefer Figma. Coming from Sketch, I found it very easy to jump into Figma…The UI was very intuitive and the transition came naturally to me.”
