The ease of use and the seamless collaboration of web-based UI tools

Review by Sarosh Chopra

UI design tools have increasingly become more sophisticated over the last decade. The most prominent software for UI design, Sketch, was released in 2010. It became popular as it focused primarily on UI design and was easy to use. Adobe inc. and Figma inc. decided to release their UI design software products in 2016 called Adobe Xd and Figma. Similar to Sketch, Adobe Xd also needs to be installed on a computer for users to get access. However, Figma inc. decided to release its software as an online service, eliminating the need to install software on a computer. 

 The work on Figma began in 2012 by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace, who were studying computer science at Brown College then. Before finalizing Figma as an online UI design tool, the co-founders experimented with ideas such as creating software for drones and a meme generator.

According to the co-founders, the goal behind creating Figma was to provide a free, simple creative tool accessible on an internet browser. In June 2013, Figma raised $3.8 million in seed funding. In December 2015, the company raised $14 million in Series A funding. Figma was officially released to the public on September 27, 2016. 

As a professional UX designer, I have used all the UI software available in the past few years, including Adobe Xd, Axure RP, Sketch, and Figma. I have to say that Figma is the best UI design tool in terms of User Experience. 

The unique selling point of Figma is that it is entirely cloud-based. It is accessible on any computer or tablet with an internet connection. The files created by users get saved on the cloud, eliminating the need to occupy the hard disk space of their devices, as well as creating an automatic backup of the files. Due to Figma being cloud-based, designers' collaboration is easier than ever. "Common design problems like file versioning and real-time collaboration aren’t an issue for Figma. Designers can work together, or make changes on their own, and those changes are reflected across the file in real-time with a complete revision history. To share something new, they can simply send over a link," states Nitin Naresh. The only drawback of Figma is that it requires an internet connection. 

However, currently, the internet has become ubiquitous. Figma has set a new standard for UI design tools and is a product made by designers for designers. It has gained immense popularity among creative professionals, with over 4 million users. On September 15, 2022, Adobe Inc. announced it had entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Figma for approximately $20 billion in cash and stock. The combination of Adobe and Figma will usher in a new era of collaborative creativity. 

Works Cited 

Dylan Field, "A new collaboration with Adobe" September 15, 2022 

Josh Constine, "23-Year-Old’s Design Collaboration Tool Figma Launches With $14M To Fight Adobe" December 3, 2015.

Josh Constine, "21-Year-Old Thiel Fellow Raises Three-Point-Eight Million Dollars For Figma" June 26, 2013.

Jordan Crook, "Figma gets $40 million Series C to put design tools in the cloud" Febuary 14, 2019.