Figma UI3 Redesign: A Deep Dive into Changes and Impact

Figma UI3: A Deep Dive into the Radical Redesign

Recently, Figma's UI3 update has sparked heated debate within the design community. While some designers struggle to adapt to this drastic overhaul, others applaud its simplified interface and immersive experience. This article delves into the specific changes of Figma UI3, exploring the reasons behind them and their potential impact.

Many designers familiar with Figma have likely tried out the new UI3 – it's a change so significant that many are voicing their frustrations on social media. Considering Figma's current position, mirroring many B2B products, its evolution over the past decade reveals a scenario where numerous new features were added without fundamentally altering the product's interaction logic. This resulted in an overly bloated Figma editor.

As a long-time Figma user, I'll share my insights into why Figma undertook this "disruptive" update and offer my thoughts on its evolution.

I. Specific Changes in Figma UI3

Let's start by outlining the key changes in UI3:

The new interface prioritizes simplicity, minimizing clutter and maximizing your editing space for a more immersive workflow. Visually, it embraces cards and white space as core elements, aligning with current design trends. Many system icons have also been redesigned for a cleaner aesthetic.

Significant adjustments were made to the navigation panel, toolbar, and properties panel:

• Navigation Panel: Figma restructures internal information for improved clarity in its product storage logic. Since Figma operates within four dimensions – teams, files, pages, and layers – the file directory was previously centrally located at the top. Now, it's merged with the left navigation panel, creating a more intuitive path. File-related operations like publishing, branching, and history are now consolidated under the file path, further enhancing clarity.

• Toolbar: The toolbar focuses on maximizing space dedicated to core content. Since most frequently used tools remain relatively consistent, moving them to the bottom frees up valuable screen real estate for your work. Downward interaction flows also feel more natural. However, with my personal preference of hiding the Mac Dock, this movement sometimes leads to unintentional actions – a matter that requires further adaptation.

• Properties Panel: Users can now drag and resize the properties panel as needed. Its content has also been reorganized, for example, creating components is now centralized into a unified area. You can customize labels, show/hide them, and refine attribute settings with greater precision. Notably, UI3 includes optimizations for smaller screens, recognizing that most designers work on MacBook laptops where editing space can be limited. The ability to collapse and reveal the navigation and properties panels when needed significantly enhances the experience for laptop users.

II. Reasons Behind the Iteration

Every change in a B2B product has underlying reasons, and Figma is no exception:

• New Feature Integration: Figma's recent updates have primarily focused on deepening existing features until the launch of its AI capabilities. The importance of this feature necessitates changes to guide users towards rapid adoption. This resembles how WeChat (the popular Chinese messaging app) implemented major updates often accompanied by new game features, designed to encourage user engagement and adoption of the latest version.

• Interaction Unification: Figma encompasses Figma, FigJam, and Slide. As a designer, it's natural to strive for consistent interactions across all platforms. Similar to Microsoft Office's "suite" approach where users instantly recognize its products based on their interface, Figma aims for the same. The UI3 iteration adopts FigJam's layout as a foundation, iterating upon the Figma editor and meeting the needs of Slide while addressing previous usability issues. This enables new users to explore Figma's comprehensive ecosystem and unlock its full potential.

• Business Considerations: Following Adobe's failed acquisition attempt, Figma, as a design software, must consider "going mainstream" and "monetization." The monetization aspect is evident. The company likely seeks to attract a broader user base by streamlining the experience.

III. My Perspective on This Iteration

Figma UI3 feels like a blank canvas – a space where users can freely express themselves and manipulate information. When I minimize all panels, my focus intensifies solely on the content within the page itself. This minimalist approach is incredibly powerful.

I believe this layout will set a trend, influencing many other products in the future. What are your thoughts on Figma UI3?