Figma feature highlight: Observation Mode | Figma Blog

Figma’s Observation Mode lets one person mirror another collaborator’s screen in real time. By clicking a teammate’s avatar, users can follow cursor movements, navigation, text changes, and prototype interactions as they happen. Figma presents it as a useful alternative to traditional screen sharing for critiques, client feedback, and user testing.

How Observation Mode Works

• When multiple people are viewing a Figma file, click a person’s avatar in the upper-right corner.
• Your view then follows everything that person sees and does.
• The mirrored activity includes:
  • Moving through the file or prototype
  • Editing text inside frames
  • Selecting objects
  • Expanding design elements
  • Moving the cursor
• Observation Mode is available even to users with view-only access, provided sharing is enabled for the file or project.

Real-Time Design Critiques and Feedback

• Designers can watch clients or teammates explore a design instead of relying only on verbal explanations.
• The feature makes remote critiques more interactive by allowing everyone to follow the same part of the file.
• Clients can demonstrate their reactions and questions directly within the design.

User Testing in Figma

• Researchers or designers can observe users as they move through a prototype.
• Watching interactions live reveals:
  • Where users hesitate
  • Which elements cause confusion
  • Where navigation breaks down
  • Which interface areas create pain points
• This provides more direct evidence than collecting anecdotal feedback after a test.

Sharing and Privacy Considerations

• Anyone with access to a shared file may be able to use Observation Mode, including viewers.
• Designers should be comfortable being observed before sharing a design URL.
• Teams should consider file-sharing permissions when using the feature for sensitive work.

Observation Mode is best used as a lightweight collaboration and research tool: enable sharing, ask participants to explore the file or prototype, and follow their activity live to gather more precise feedback.