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By the numbers: one year of remote work | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

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Figma’s shift to remote work prompted an experiment to understand how teams collaborate when offline workflows move online. By introducing a template picker with remote-work-focused files, Figma increased collaboration and helped users discover more features and community resources. The findings suggest that curated templates can make remote collaboration easier and encourage broader cross-functional participation.

Moving Offline Workflows Online

  • Figma increasingly used its platform for brainstorming, research, team building, and other activities previously handled in person.
  • The growth team hypothesized that templates designed for remote work could reduce collaboration challenges and increase activity beyond traditional design work.
  • Figma built a template picker offering blank presets and curated templates, then tested it with a portion of its existing user base.

Results of the Template Experiment

  • Users who received the template picker had a 5% higher collaboration rate, measured by edits or comments in shared files.
  • The picker improved feature discovery:
    • 10% more users discovered frame presets.
    • 90% more users used files from the Figma Community when creating files.
  • The benefits applied to both designers and cross-functional collaborators.
  • Popular templates covered design-specific activities, such as remote design sprints, as well as broader uses like whiteboarding and team-building.

Collaboration Across Teams and Locations

  • After a year of remote work, Figma observed more collaboration across regions and time zones.
  • Designers worked more closely with cross-functional colleagues.
  • Teams began involving collaborators earlier in the design process.
  • User feedback on social media and requests for additional templates indicated that people valued and actively wanted these resources.

Figma’s experience shows that thoughtfully curated templates can turn a collaboration tool into a broader virtual workspace, helping distributed teams work together more effectively.