What is Figma?

Figma is an interface design tool used by designers to edit vector graphics and create working prototypes.

Figma and Accessibility

Pricing

Figma is a a free web-based tool, a single user can create unlimited projects for free, forever. There are price plans for collaborative projects but you can still try collaborating with teams of up to two people free of charge.

Learning

Figma have an official youtube page where they regularly upload helpful tutorials explaining how to use Figma. Even someone with no background in design can still learn. Figma has a ’Learn Design Pilot’ which explains everything from digital design principles, design thinking and ethics, accessibility and inclusion, and design research: https://www.figma.com/resources/learn-design/ It even has design exercises so new users can put this new theory into practice.

Ease of Use

User Interface

The figma interface is similar to other prototyping tools such as sketch or adobe XD. I think anyone familiar with these UIs would be able to pick up figma easily enough.

Plug Ins

Figma allows users to install plug-ins. There are hundreds of plug-ins available e.g. the unsplash plug-in allows you to select copyright free images for use in your designs right from the figma workspace. The iconify plug-in is good for finding vector graphic icons, these can then be edited in figma for use in your designs. Plug-ins like these stop users from having to use external apps/sites in conjunctions with figma and this allows for a more efficient workflow.

Clickable Prototypes

Figma allows users to create clickable prototypes so you can navigate through the app to preview how a particular user journey might function. 

These clickable prototypes can be shared with clients who are guided by ‘hotspots’ which indicate where they should click/tap to go through the screens. If the owner of the file sets the permissions for it, clients can also leave comments on the prototype itself. This is a helpful way of keeping client feedback in the same workspace as the design which again caters for a faster workflow.

Sharing

Figma allows multiple users to collaborate on the same project, in real-time. The owner of a project can share the projects with other designers and decide who can see it or who can edit it. Figma files are also compatible with sketch so users who use sketch can still open a figma file and vice versa.