kakaoJun 23, 2026

Solving Social Problems with AI Beyond Development (opens in new tab)

The first “SSAFY X Kakao Tech Bootcamp AI Hackathon” brought together 90 trainees from 12 teams to use AI for solving real social problems. Rather than focusing only on coding competition, the event emphasized public value, practical service prototypes, expert feedback, and collaboration across different training programs. It demonstrated that future developers need both technical ability and the capacity to work with others on meaningful problems. ## Connecting Kakao and Samsung’s Developer Programs - Held June 13–14 at Kakao’s AI Campus in Yongin. - Organized jointly by Kakao Tech Bootcamp and Samsung’s SSAFY program. - Participants came from two major digital-training initiatives supported by Korea’s K-Digital Training program. - The event aimed to create opportunities for collaboration and growth among future AI developers. ## Applying AI to Everyday Social Problems - Teams selected challenges from the government’s “Top 10 AI Projects for People’s Livelihoods.” - Topics included: - Small-business support - Voice-phishing prevention - Child and youth protection - Maritime safety - Over two intensive, sleepless days, teams: - Defined a specific social problem - Designed solutions from the user’s perspective - Built AI-powered service prototypes - The hackathon stressed that AI’s value depends not only on technical advancement, but also on how effectively it improves society. ## Practical Mentoring from Government and Industry - Officials from agencies including the National Police Agency, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family provided policy and field expertise. - Kakao developers delivered lectures and technical mentoring based on real-world service development. - Teams refined their ideas through questions, feedback, and discussions with experts. - This allowed trainees to connect classroom learning with actual policy and operational challenges. ## Collaboration Across Different Backgrounds - Kakao Tech Bootcamp and SSAFY use different educational approaches, giving participants varied experiences and strengths. - Teams worked with people they had not previously met and actively discussed how to incorporate AI into their products. - Participants discovered new perspectives and solutions by sharing their knowledge. - Many came to recognize communication and teamwork as essential skills alongside technical competence. ## Projects and the Future Developer Ecosystem - Five teams received awards after the final presentations. - The Ministry of Employment and Labor award went to “Golden Time” for **DRIFT**, an AI service supporting maritime rescue when communications are unavailable. - Kakao’s CEO award went to “SSAIKA” for **Mindam**, an AI-based civil complaint intake and processing service. - Other awards were presented by Samsung Electronics, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Korea Radio Promotion Association. - Although the total prize money was 15 million won, the article identifies hands-on experience solving social problems as the participants’ more important achievement. - Kakao has trained more than 660 digital professionals since joining the K-Digital Training initiative in 2022. The hackathon suggests that AI education should combine technical training with real-world projects, expert guidance, and cross-organizational collaboration. Kakao plans to expand these practical opportunities to support developers who can turn technology into social value.

collaborationaisoftware-developmentai-hackathon+2

figmaMay 28, 2026

Figma Make, Now on Your Local Code | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma is bringing Make beyond prototyping by connecting it directly to local production codebases. Designers can visually edit interfaces, use annotations and prompts for more complex behavior, and manage changes through Git workflows without leaving Figma. The broader goal is to make design and code a continuous, collaborative workflow rather than separate tools. ## Visual Editing in Production Code - Make connects to a local codebase and translates visual changes into code. - Users can select interface elements and modify: - Layouts - Colors - Fonts - Sizing - Other visual properties - Annotations let users describe interactions, animations, and other changes that go beyond simple property edits. - The feature is currently best suited to designers who already have access to their organization’s codebase. ## Git-Based Branching and Shipping - Make supports standard development workflows, including: - Creating branches - Reverting commits - Reviewing commit history - Creating pull requests - Changes remain in local commits until the team intentionally opens a pull request. - Engineering teams can review Make-generated changes like any other production contribution. ## Collaboration Between Design and Code - Local code changes can be shared as files and links with teammates who have access to the relevant branch. - Teammates can inspect changes, build on them, and compare versions through commit history. - Screens, pages, and components can be copied from Make into Figma Design as editable layers. - Changes made in Figma can be detected and brought back into Make, creating a round-trip workflow between the design canvas and codebase. ## Beta Availability - Direct editing, annotations, chat, and pull-request creation enter limited beta on May 28, 2026. - Beta access is limited to Figma’s Mac desktop beta app and requires joining a waitlist. - The features will not consume credits during beta; pricing for AI credits will be announced later. - Figma plans to expand availability to other platforms. Figma’s recommendation is effectively to use whichever environment best fits the current task—design canvas, code-based prototyping, or production code—while maintaining a shared workflow between them.

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figmaOct 7, 2025

4 Ways for Design Teams to Chart New Territory With Figma Make | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma Make helps design teams turn early ideas into interactive, high-fidelity prototypes without starting from scratch. The article argues that this accelerates buy-in, exploration, collaboration, and design-system consistency, allowing designers to focus more on strategy, vision, and refinement. Maven Clinic’s experience shows how a prototype can revive a shelved feature and shorten development dramatically. ## Getting Ideas Back on the Roadmap - Maven Clinic had postponed a map-based fertility clinic finder because of launch deadlines. - Product Design Manager Loric Avanessian used initial designs with Figma Make to create an interactive prototype. - The prototype looked and felt like part of Maven’s existing product, generating enthusiasm across the company and even attracting CEO attention. - Its realism helped restore the feature to the roadmap despite competing priorities. - Designers could iterate between Figma Make and Figma Design, refining the concept and testing details. - The prototype exposed important micro-interactions early and enabled Maven to design, develop, test, and launch an MVP in fewer than four sprints—after the idea had remained in the backlog for two years. ## Exploring Unfamiliar Directions - Figma Make helps teams quickly generate and compare multiple ideas. - By providing something tangible to react to, it reduces the blank-canvas problem and supports divergent exploration before requirements are finalized. ## Collaborating on New Interfaces - Interactive prototypes make ideas easier for cross-functional partners to understand and critique. - Teams can share prototypes, gather focused feedback, and identify issues earlier than they might with static mockups. ## Incorporating Design Systems Early - Figma Make can produce explorations that remain visually consistent with established product patterns. - This reduces redundant layout work while allowing designers to concentrate on taste, strategic decisions, and product vision. Figma Make is most valuable when used as an early design partner: create a credible first version quickly, gather feedback, refine it in Figma Design, and use the result to align stakeholders before development begins.

collaborationdesign-systemsprototypinggen-ai+2

figmaSep 9, 2025

Are Roles and Responsibilities a Thing of the Past? | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Product teams are moving away from rigid job boundaries toward more fluid, overlapping responsibilities. Figma’s research, based on 51 interviews and a survey of 1,199 product professionals, found that 64% of respondents identify with at least two roles, while more than a third span three or more. This shift can improve collaboration and speed, but it also creates friction through tool overload and requires teams to coordinate more deliberately. ## Roles Are Becoming More Fluid - Product development responsibilities increasingly overlap across design, product management, engineering, research, data, and marketing. - 56% of non-designers say they participate heavily in at least one design-related task. - PMs are prototyping ideas, engineers are contributing to early design decisions, and marketers and content specialists are commenting directly in design files. - Figma conducted the research with Factworks and Fusion Hill through 51 qualitative interviews and a survey of 1,199 participants. ## Design Isn’t Just for Designers - Non-designer participation in design tasks such as mockups and brand exploration rose by 10% in the past year. - 70% of product managers create low-fidelity mockups or wireframes, and 59% create interactive prototypes. - One in four product builders has recently adopted a new design tool; 42% of those who have not yet adopted one plan to do so within a year. - Cross-functional design work can: - Help teams align on ideas earlier. - Expose technical feasibility problems before implementation. - Reduce back-and-forth and save time. - Designers can use the time saved for research, strategy, design-system maintenance, and craft. - The goal is not to eliminate design expertise, but to encourage shared visual communication and earlier collaboration. - Teams can support this transition by building stronger relationships, establishing a shared vision early, and welcoming contributions from colleagues who are still learning design tools. ## Tool Overload Is Causing Friction - 72% of respondents identify AI tools as the main force changing their roles. - Tools such as Figma Make, Claude Code, and GitHub Copilot make prototyping and code generation more accessible. - Notion, Figma Buzz, and Airtable similarly support rapid marketing production and project management. - Role expansion has led 71% of respondents to use more tools and software. - Participants use tools across an average of 7.6 out of 16 categories, including spreadsheets, project management, graphic design, and coding assistants. - Although new tools enable more people to contribute, the growing number of platforms can make workflows harder to manage and reduce the effectiveness of individual tools. Teams should treat overlapping roles as an opportunity for earlier alignment and broader participation, while actively simplifying their tool ecosystems. Clear collaboration practices—not rigid ownership boundaries—will be essential as product work continues to evolve.

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figmaJul 29, 2025

Figma Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma announced pricing for its initial public offering at **$33 per share**, valuing an offering of 36,937,080 Class A shares. Trading is expected to begin on the New York Stock Exchange under **“FIG”** on July 31, 2025, with closing scheduled for August 1. The IPO marks Figma’s transition from a design tool into a broader, AI-powered product development platform. ## IPO Details - Figma is offering **12,472,657 shares** of Class A common stock. - Existing stockholders are selling **24,464,423 shares**. - The offering’s public price is **$33.00 per share**. - Certain selling stockholders granted underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to **5,540,561 additional shares** for over-allotments. - Figma will not receive proceeds from shares sold by existing stockholders. ## Trading and Underwriting - Shares are expected to trade on the **New York Stock Exchange** under ticker symbol **FIG**. - The offering is expected to close on **August 1, 2025**, subject to customary conditions. - Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Allen & Company, and J.P. Morgan are joint lead book-running managers. - BofA Securities, Wells Fargo Securities, and RBC Capital Markets are additional book-running managers. - William Blair and Wolfe | Nomura Alliance are serving as co-managers. - The SEC declared the related registration statement effective on July 30, 2025. ## Figma’s Platform and Evolution - Founded in 2012, Figma describes itself as a collaborative platform for digital product development. - The company has expanded beyond interface design into an AI-powered system supporting: - Ideation - Design - Building - Product shipping - Its central value proposition is helping teams collaborate more efficiently while maintaining alignment throughout the product lifecycle. Figma’s IPO makes its public-market debut with a $33-per-share offering and positions the company as a broader collaborative platform for designing and delivering digital products.

collaborationfigmaaiproduct-development+1

figmaJul 27, 2025

Figma Announces Increase in IPO Price Range | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma announced an increased expected price range of **$30–$32 per share** for its proposed initial public offering. The company has amended its Form S-1 registration statement and plans to list Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under **“FIG.”** The announcement follows the launch of Figma’s IPO roadshow. ## Updated IPO Terms - Figma plans to offer **12,472,657 shares** of Class A common stock. - Existing stockholders plan to sell an additional **24,464,423 shares**. - Selling stockholders may grant underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to **5,540,561 additional shares** to cover over-allotments. - Figma will not receive proceeds from shares sold by existing stockholders. ## Underwriters - Joint lead book-running managers: - Morgan Stanley - Goldman Sachs - Allen & Company - J.P. Morgan - Additional book-running managers include BofA Securities, Wells Fargo Securities, and RBC Capital Markets. - William Blair and Wolfe | Nomura Alliance will serve as co-managers. ## Regulatory Status - The offering is being made through a preliminary prospectus. - Figma’s registration statement has been filed with the SEC but is not yet effective. - Shares cannot be sold, and purchase offers cannot be accepted, until the registration statement becomes effective and applicable securities-law requirements are satisfied. ## About Figma - Founded in 2012, Figma describes itself as an AI-powered platform for collaborative product development. - Its product supports the full workflow from ideation and design through development and shipping. - The company emphasizes collaboration, efficiency, and keeping product teams aligned. Figma’s revised price range signals increased expectations for its upcoming IPO, though the final offering price and completion of the listing remain subject to market conditions and regulatory approval.

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figmaMar 18, 2025

How Teams Tap Into the Power of Design with Figma Slides | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma Slides has moved out of open beta with new features designed to combine presentation simplicity with Figma’s high-fidelity design and collaboration capabilities. The platform aims to help designers and cross-functional teams create polished, brand-consistent decks while giving them more control over storytelling and presentation workflows. ## Figma Slides Leaves Open Beta - Available to users with Full, Dev, or Collab seats. - New features include: - Improved video controls, including blur effects, scrubbing, and playback-speed adjustments. - Components for maintaining consistency across brand assets and customer logos. - Object-level slide and fade animations. - `.PPTX` import and export for working with external collaborators. - Existing Figma capabilities—such as auto layout, custom fonts, brand libraries, and embeddable prototypes—are available within the slides experience. - Figma positions Slides as a shared storytelling workspace rather than merely a traditional presentation tool. ## Fine-Tune Designs with Templates and Components - Teams can build decks from templates connected to their existing Figma design systems and brand libraries. - Merkle uses curated templates for UI/UX presentations, research, data visualization, and client-specific work. - Reusable components reduce design decisions and help teams produce higher-quality decks more consistently. - Decagon redesigned its sales deck around its brand identity, using custom visuals, layouts, and an appendix of adaptable slides. - Custom templates let teams tailor presentations to specific customers, priorities, and business goals while preserving brand consistency. ## Control the Narrative - Figma Slides supports audience-specific storytelling by making it easy to rearrange slides and review the full deck in grid view. - The article emphasizes distilling a presentation into a clear central idea rather than adding unnecessary visual elements. - Templates can adapt to different contexts, such as fundraising stages, audiences, products, and founder profiles. - The ideal structure may vary: some decks lead with insights, while others introduce the team early to establish credibility. Figma Slides is best suited to teams that want presentation speed without giving up design precision. Its combination of reusable systems, collaborative editing, flexible storytelling, and `.PPTX` compatibility makes it a practical option for internal reviews, sales presentations, and client-facing decks.

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figmaFeb 18, 2025

In Good Company: How Publishers Use Figma to Help Design the News | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Publishers are adapting to digital-first journalism by redesigning products, developing new visual identities, and experimenting with formats that attract and retain readers. The article argues that Figma helps media organizations coordinate designers, editors, engineers, and executives while maintaining accuracy, clarity, and accessibility. The New York Times’ redesigned app illustrates how collaborative prototyping can support a broader subscription ecosystem without losing journalism’s central role. ## The shift toward digital-first publishing - Legacy publishers face accelerating change as audiences move from print to web and mobile. - Subscription models are becoming more important amid an unpredictable advertising market, although many readers remain reluctant to pay for online news. - Media teams must build stronger relationships with readers while exploring new products and formats. - Figma supports this work by keeping multidisciplinary teams aligned during design and experimentation. ## The New York Times’ redesigned app - Relaunched in October 2024, the app reflects The Times’ strategy of connecting multiple products, including News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter, and The Athletic. - The redesign places the **Today** section and the latest news at the center of the experience. - A top navigation system makes other verticals easier to discover, with each product receiving its own home screen. - Rather than creating one “super app” feed, the design gives each section a distinct visual identity: - Lifestyle uses image-heavy grids with headline overlays, based on a component called a “poster.” - Opinion uses stylized headlines to communicate its different editorial perspective. - The overall concept treats journalism as the central “sun,” with other products orbiting around it. ## Figma as a newsroom collaboration space - The project involved section editors, engineers, senior management, product designers, and The Times’ storytelling group. - Teams used Figma asynchronously to explore layouts combining text, images, video, and audio. - Designers could share interactive prototypes directly instead of preparing as many presentation decks or relying on screen-sharing meetings. - The shared workspace helped stakeholders see colleagues’ work immediately and participate in shaping the app’s editorial formats. The article’s broader recommendation is that collaborative design tools can help publishers manage complex digital transformations while preserving strong editorial identities.

collaborationfigmadesign-systemsprototyping+3

figmaJan 20, 2025

A first look at Config 2025: Two cities, one global community | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Config 2025 expands Figma’s annual product-building conference into a global, two-city event. A three-day conference in San Francisco will offer extensive programming and community spaces, while a new one-day London event will bring Config to Europe. Both events emphasize flexible participation, practical inspiration, and meaningful connections among designers, developers, and product teams. ## San Francisco Conference - Runs May 6–8, beginning with Config Commons on Howard Street near Moscone Center. - Config Commons will serve as a place to collect badges, meet attendees, and connect with the community. - Moscone Center will host: - More than 75 speakers - Over 50 sessions - Multi-track programming on May 7 and 8 - Attendees can customize their schedules by combining talks, installations, networking, and collaborative projects. - Figma is redesigning the venue to encourage more spontaneous conversations and “aha” moments. - The expanded Maker Space will include a dedicated stage for Figma community leaders to present their work. - Multiple badge check-in locations will be available at partner hotels and Config Commons. - In-person and virtual registration options are offered. ## London’s First Config Event - Takes place May 14 at ExCeL London. - The day-long program includes more than 15 speakers across 10 sessions. - In-person tickets have sold out, but virtual registration remains available. - London was selected because of its strong design history and growing technology community. - The event follows Config’s successful community connection in Singapore and extends the conference’s collaborative format to Europe. ## A More Connected Global Community - Figma’s goal is to make Config accessible to product-building communities on both sides of the Atlantic. - The two locations combine large-scale programming with spaces designed for networking, experimentation, and peer learning. - The conference format prioritizes attendee choice rather than requiring participants to follow a single schedule. Config 2025 is positioned as both a conference and a community experience. Those attending in person can expect a more interactive venue design, while virtual attendees can participate remotely from either city’s program.

collaborationfigmadesign-systemsproduct-design+1

figmaAug 14, 2024

The Three Cs of Figma: A Beginner’s Guide to Success | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma beginners should focus less on memorizing individual features and more on building practical skills through three stages: creation, customization, and collaboration. The author argues that this framework makes learning more structured and helps users progress from making simple designs to creating reusable resources for their teams. Learning by doing, seeking help, and setting realistic milestones are central to that progression. ## Establishing Goals, Timelines, and Mindset - Define what you want to learn and how Figma fits into your role, whether in design, development, product management, or education. - Suggested milestones: - **30 days:** Learn basic tools, collaboration practices, and file organization. - **60 days:** Pilot projects and identify knowledge gaps. - **90 days:** Add more advanced features to your workflow. - Adopt a hands-on learning approach by experimenting, making mistakes, and rebuilding. - Share work and ask questions through coworkers, Slack, social media, or the Figma Community Forum. - Take breaks and allow time for unfamiliar tools and processes to become natural. ## The Three Cs of Figma - **Creation:** Learn to make a basic design element. - **Customization:** Use advanced features to make the element flexible and reusable. - **Collaboration:** Share the work with teammates and provide components or documentation they can use. - The three stages function like rungs on a ladder: users first create something, then improve its adaptability, and finally make it useful to others. - Figma’s Help Center, YouTube channel, virtual events, and community resources support this learning process. ## Applying the Framework to a Button - A button provides a practical example of the three Cs: - Create a basic button. - Turn it into a reusable component. - Publish it so teammates can use it in their own files. - This approach connects individual feature knowledge to real design workflows and team collaboration. - Figma provides a playground file for practicing the progression. The practical recommendation is to learn Figma through small, complete projects rather than isolated feature tutorials. Build something, make it reusable, and share it with others while progressing at a sustainable pace.

collaborationfigmadesign-systemsprototyping+2

figmaJun 25, 2024

Making Figma Work Better for Freelancers and Agencies | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma is revising its billing model to better support freelancers and agencies that work across multiple clients. The company acknowledges that its organization-focused plans create licensing and administrative overhead, and proposes connected workspaces, easier project transfers, and stronger billing controls. These changes aim to make external collaboration easier while reducing unexpected seat charges. ## Connected Workspaces for External Collaboration - Figma is developing connected workspaces that link separate Figma accounts. - Freelancers and agencies will be able to collaborate with clients and co-edit files using their existing seats. - The feature is expected to roll out early the following year, reducing the need for multiple licenses. ## Easier Project Transfers Figma plans to improve transferring work between accounts and plans so freelancers can hand projects to clients with less friction. - Users will be able to transfer a copy while retaining the original. - Collaborators can be removed during transfer to prevent accidental paid-seat upgrades. - Work can be transferred across Professional, Organization, and Enterprise plans. - These improvements went live on August 20. ## More Visibility and Control Over Billing Figma’s browser-based collaboration model lets users begin editing immediately, but it can leave admins responsible for remembering to downgrade seats after a project ends. - Admins can enable daily, weekly, or monthly notifications showing who upgraded and what action caused the upgrade. - New accounts receive these notifications by default: - Weekly on Professional plans - Monthly on Organization and Enterprise plans - Admins can set new users’ default role to “viewer-restricted,” requiring explicit approval before they receive a paid seat. - Figma says broader billing-architecture improvements are still underway. Figma’s immediate tools help admins monitor and approve seat changes, while connected workspaces and improved transfers address the larger structural challenges freelancers and agencies face.

collaborationfigmafigjamfigma-design+1

figmaApr 15, 2024

Alaska Airlines Reaches Cruising Speed With the Help of Variables | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Alaska Airlines uses Figma and its Auro design system to create consistent experiences across websites, mobile apps, kiosks, and digital signage. Moving away from Sketch and InVision resolved fragmented workflows, improved collaboration with engineers, and accelerated product development. Figma variables further help the 45-person design team adapt designs across screen sizes, themes, and the needs of more than 23,000 employees. ## Building a Reliable Design System - Alaska’s previous Sketch and InVision workflow lacked: - A single source of truth - Intuitive prototyping and collaboration tools - Consistent reusable components - Easy synchronization between design and engineering - Designers frequently made small but important inconsistencies in colors, buttons, checkboxes, modals, and date pickers. - Manual copying between platforms created version-control problems and contributed to accessibility issues. - Figma enabled Alaska to document Auro clearly for both designers and engineers, creating a more consistent digital ecosystem. ## Redesigning the Flight Status Experience - Severe storms exposed weaknesses in Alaska’s underused flight status page, which lacked information such as flight tracking and aircraft details. - A cross-functional “tiger team” rebuilt the page using approximately 90% Auro components. - The team completed the work in one sprint instead of the estimated four or five sprints without Figma. - Afterward, average time spent on the page increased from 36 seconds to 5 minutes and 10 seconds—a 761% increase. ## Connecting Design and Engineering - Figma components mirror the web components used by engineers, making designs easier to implement accurately. - This alignment improved product consistency and increased trust between design and engineering teams. - Alaska also documented Figma practices such as auto layout, merging, and branching to encourage adoption. - Designer education reduced conflicts and helped teams make better use of Figma’s capabilities. ## Using Variables at Scale - Figma variables allow Alaska to adapt designs for: - Different screen sizes - Light and dark modes - Themes for internal teams and external partners - The approach saves designers an average of 11 hours per week. - Variables help the team support the needs of more than 23,000 employees while maintaining a coherent design system. Alaska’s experience suggests that a well-documented design system, shared tooling, and variables can significantly reduce repetitive work while improving consistency, accessibility, and collaboration across an organization.

collaborationfigmadesign-systemsdesign-tokens+4

figmaJan 21, 2024

The Long and Short of It: Issue no.3 | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma’s “The Handoff,” published January 22, 2024, reflects on how collaboration turns ideas into products. Using the handoff as a metaphor for the continuous exchange between teammates, the issue reviews Figma’s major 2023 work and explores the evolving relationship between people, technology, and AI. It also highlights stories intended to help readers work better and stay curious in 2024. ## Collaboration as an Ongoing Handoff - Figma compares product design to an American football handoff: ideas repeatedly move between people as they are developed and refined. - This concept is closely tied to Figma’s multiplayer approach to collaboration. - The issue serves as a retrospective on the launches, lessons, and ideas Figma is carrying from 2023 into 2024. ## Best of Figma - Figma revisits the top 10 things it shipped in 2023. - The selection includes both small details with significant impact and major product launches. - The “MVP” label is used playfully to mean “Most Valuable Players,” rather than “Minimum Viable Products.” ## Reconsidering Our Relationship with Technology - “Looking 4 love” presents 36 questions about people’s relationships with technology. - Topics include first usernames, finding community online, and innovations that inspire optimism. - The feature acknowledges digital oversaturation and uncertainty while asking what might help people reconnect with technology. ## Building AI Features That Matter - The issue argues that AI will remain a major force in 2024, but its potential depends on thoughtful product management. - Leaders from Duolingo, LinkedIn, and Asana discuss how to move beyond hype. - Their focus is on building AI features that address real user needs and earn trust. ## Designing Better Tools for Work - Figma highlights its collaboration with Work Louder on the Figma Creator Micro mechanical keyboard. - The device includes 12 keys and two rotary encoders, providing up to 48 shortcuts. - The story presents the keyboard as both an efficiency tool and a celebration of the tactile, creative culture surrounding mechanical keyboards. Overall, the issue encourages readers to view work as a collaborative exchange: ship thoughtfully, use technology intentionally, and carry the most valuable lessons from the past year into the next.

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figmaSep 27, 2023

Figma and Google: Transforming education for Japan’s K-12 students | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Figma and Google for Education are expanding their partnership to give Japan’s K–12 schools free access to Figma and FigJam through Chromebooks and Google Workspace for Education. The initiative aims to address students’ limited access to digital design tools and build skills in collaboration, visual communication, problem-solving, and creative expression. Districts can apply to deploy and manage Figma Enterprise licenses through Google’s admin console. ## Bringing Industry-Standard Design Tools to Japanese Schools - Japan has high household internet access, but digital design software is often restricted to computer labs or specific classrooms. - The partnership enables schools to provide Figma on students’ personal Chromebooks. - Schools can centrally manage Figma Enterprise licenses for free using Google’s administration tools. - Students can brainstorm, collaborate, prototype, and design with tools used in professional environments. ## Building Future-Ready Skills - Figma’s earlier US Chromebook partnership attracted applications from educators in all 50 states. - Students used Figma to: - Develop design concepts - Support nonprofit initiatives - Prototype apps for local government services - Teachers used FigJam for lesson plans, group projects, study guides, and interactive classroom activities. - Figma argues that design education strengthens complex problem-solving, collaboration, visual communication, and creative expression. - The company cites research linking strong design practices with faster revenue and shareholder-return growth. ## Supporting Japan’s Next Generation of Designers - Japan has a strong record of technological innovation, educational equity, and high graduation rates. - Despite these strengths, Japanese schools historically adopted computers more slowly than many other countries. - The government launched the GIGA School Program in 2019 to provide every student with a device and high-speed school connectivity. - Figma’s browser-based tools build on that infrastructure by adding accessible, collaborative design software to students’ devices. - Google describes the partnership as a way to expand creativity, collaboration, and opportunity for a new generation. Schools and districts in Japan can apply to bring Figma and FigJam into their classrooms, helping ensure that design and digital collaboration skills are available beyond specialized programs or computer labs.

collaborationfigmafigjamdesign-thinking+3

figmaSep 19, 2023

Work Has Changed. Here's What We Might Do About It | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Distributed work has permanently changed how teams collaborate, but many organizations have not yet adapted their processes. Figma’s research finds that product development is strained by three forces: more participants, greater geographic distance, and more simultaneous work. The strongest teams counter this complexity through transparency, shared understanding, and intentional connection. ## Distributed Work Is Now Permanent - In a Figma survey, 75% of designers in Europe and Asia said they work from home more often than before the pandemic. - U.S. work-from-home days are now five times higher than in 2019. - Teams meet in person less frequently, making remote collaboration a lasting feature of modern work rather than a temporary adjustment. ## Product Development Faces Widespread Barriers - Forrester Consulting found that 9 in 10 respondents experienced barriers during product development. - Six in ten reported at least one of the three most significant obstacles: - Lack of alignment across teams - Difficulty making decisions - Lengthy development cycles - These problems existed before the pandemic but have been intensified by distributed work and faster product-release expectations. ## Three Forces Increasing Workplace Complexity ### More People Involved - Product development now includes designers, engineers, data specialists, security, content, marketing, product management, and executives. - Broader participation brings more expertise and enables global collaboration. - It also increases the number of perspectives, dependencies, and decisions that teams must coordinate. ### More Distributed Work - Physical distance can create emotional distance and make it harder to build trust. - Teams lose some of the informal coordination that came from working together in the same office. - Digital tools provide real-time editing, shared files, and multiplayer collaboration, but can also produce notification overload, fragmented discussions, and confusing comment threads. ### More Work in Progress - Companies are expected to release new versions of websites, applications, and digital products more frequently. - The growing volume and speed of work can allow high-performing teams to achieve more, while leaving others overwhelmed and frustrated. ## What Separates Effective Teams - Successful collaboration requires more than simply placing everyone in the same digital file. - High-performing teams distinguish themselves through: - Greater transparency - A shared understanding of goals and work - Intentional efforts to maintain connection and trust - These behaviors help turn distributed collaboration from a “cooperative mess” into productive teamwork. Teams should treat distributed work as a permanent operating model and deliberately invest in visibility, alignment, decision-making, and human connection rather than relying on digital tools alone.

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