Welcome to the WIP | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Modern digital products are never truly finished, so product development rarely follows the neat sequence of research, brainstorming, design, testing, and launch. Figma argues that teams should embrace this “work in progress” reality, sharing work earlier and designing workflows around continuous collaboration. The challenge is managing changing feedback and uncertainty without waiting for a mythical perfect moment to review or finalize work.

Digital Products Are Always Works in Progress

• Physical product development historically required a linear process because changes were expensive and slow.
• Digital products can be updated quickly, making iteration continuous rather than stage-based.
• Browser-based tools let collaborators access and modify the same file in real time.
• Early sharing lowers the stakes: labels such as “[WIP]” signal that feedback is welcome and the work is not final.

The Benefits and Confusion of Continuous Collaboration

• Real-time collaboration encourages teams to share unfinished work sooner.
• Feedback can become outdated as designs change.
• Previous approvals may no longer apply when the underlying work evolves.
• Teams need better ways to stay informed, including notifications, mobile comments, and integrations with tools such as Google Calendar, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
• Because work may never have a clearly defined final state, teams can even forget to remove “work in progress” labels after launch.

Review Work on a Predictable Cadence

• In an always-changing workflow, it is difficult to identify the perfect time to involve stakeholders or leadership.
• Teams may be tempted to wait until the problem, solution, or product feels sufficiently complete.
• Figma recommends predictable, intentional reviews—such as regular weekly critiques—instead of waiting for a supposedly ideal milestone.
• Frequent check-ins help teams build confidence progressively while keeping feedback connected to the current state of the work.

Teams should treat iteration as a normal operating condition, not a sign of poor planning. Regular reviews, clear communication, and collaboration tools can make continuous work more manageable without forcing it into an unrealistic linear process.