Why Professors at Stanford and UC Berkeley Use Figma to Teach Design | Figma Blog

Figma argues that interface design courses need tools that minimize technical overhead so professors can focus on design principles. Its browser-based, collaborative platform is presented as accessible across devices, free for educational institutions, and easy for beginners to learn. The post concludes that these features make teaching, feedback, sharing, and group work more efficient.

The Challenge of Teaching Interface Design

• Interface design remains uncommon in college curricula, often appearing as isolated interdisciplinary courses.
• Professors must teach substantial technical concepts in limited time.
• Traditional design tools can be difficult and time-consuming for students to learn.

Accessible on Any Computer

• Figma runs in the browser and supports PCs, Macs, Linux systems, and Chromebooks.
• Students can work anywhere with internet access, without downloading large software packages.
• This helps students who do not own high-powered personal computers.

Free for Educational Institutions

• Figma’s premium version is offered free to educational institutions.
• Schools do not need to negotiate expensive contracts.
• The lack of cost reduces barriers for students from lower-income backgrounds.

Easy to Learn

• Figma is designed around the core functionality digital designers need.
• Berkeley instructors describe it as lightweight, simple, and intuitive.
• Students with no prior design experience can reportedly learn the basics in under an hour.
• Professors and TAs can concentrate on design principles rather than tool training.

Technical Support for Classes

• Figma provides in-app chat support for students and instructors.
• The company states that it responds within 24–48 hours on weekdays.
• This reduces the technical-support burden on professors and TAs, especially in large classes.

Always-Current, Shareable Designs

• Designs are stored online and accessed through a file URL.
• Instructors can view the latest version without requiring students to export or email files.
• Teachers can review work or watch students design in real time.

Feedback and Version History

• Comments can be pinned directly to specific design frames.
• Students can view feedback immediately and iterate without waiting for in-person meetings.
• Version history shows how a design developed and helps instructors assess contributions in group projects.

Real-Time Collaboration

• Multiple students can work in the same file simultaneously.
• Cloud collaboration eliminates the need to email files, manage conflicting versions, or take turns editing.
• The post also introduces seamless developer handoff as another benefit, though the provided excerpt does not elaborate on it.

Figma’s combination of low cost, cross-platform access, simple onboarding, collaboration, and built-in feedback makes it a practical classroom tool for teaching design fundamentals rather than software mechanics.