Design system 104: Making metrics matter
Learn how tracking the right metrics can transform your design system from a helpful resource into a powerful engine for efficiency.
Taking RWD To The Extreme — Smashing Magazine
Tomasz Jakut reflects on the evolution of web design, from the days of table-based layouts and Flash games to the rise of responsive web design (RWD), which often feels like the end of history in web layout. But as 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of Ethan Marcotte’s article, it’s worth asking whether something significant happened after RWD — something so seamless that it went almost unnoticed.
Sustainability Week at Figma: An inside look at our climate efforts
An update on our climate investments—and some of the ways Figma helps other companies build green initiatives of their own.
The Digital Playbook: A Crucial Counterpart To Your Design System — Smashing Magazine
Design systems play a crucial role in today’s digital landscape, providing a blueprint for consistent and user-friendly interfaces. But there’s another tool that deserves equal attention: the digital playbook.
Issue no.9: Memos for the future
Figma’s editorial newsletter about how products take shape—and shape our world.
Working with Figma and custom design systems in v0
Learn best practices on importing your designs from Figma, working with shadcn/ui, and leveraging public npm packages.
Design system 103: Design system documentation that drives adoption
Clear documentation transforms abstract design principles into practical tools. Read how leading teams build and maintain documentation that evolves alongside their design systems.
Why developers should embrace creative coding again
Modern browsers have evolved beyond what most design tools can do. It’s up to us to break free from templates and tap into the web’s true creative potential.
It’s time we expand our definition of design
More people than ever are using design in their daily work. By making our tools and processes more inclusive, we can empower everyone to practice design with confidence—regardless of their title.
Automated Accessibility Testing at Slack
At Slack, customer love is our first priority and accessibility is a core tenet of customer trust. We have our own Slack Accessibility Standards that product teams follow to guarantee their features are compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Our dedicated accessibility team supports developers in following these guidelines throughout the development process. We…
The Design Leader Dilemma — Smashing Magazine
Design leaders are expected to deliver the impossible. Instead of trying, we need to redefine our role from implementor to enabler.
Three Approaches To Amplify Your Design Projects — Smashing Magazine
There are many ways to elevate a design project from good to incredible. For web and product designers, it’s not just about adding more animations and flair. What it truly comes down to is a reframing of your thought processes starting before the project even kicks off. Olivia De Alba presents three approaches that designers can implement and which will change the way they make their projects more
Smashing Meets Product Design
I had the pleasure of hosting a recent Smashing Magazine workshop on product design, subbing for Vitaly Friedman who usually runs these things.
CYPEX Online Academy - Application Design Best Practice
Design best practice for CYPEX: Learn how to add a drop-down field, send an email using pg_timetable, create table dependencies & much more
The Importance Of Graceful Degradation In Accessible Interface Design — Smashing Magazine
Few things are as frustrating to a user as when a site won’t respond. Unfortunately, it’s also an all-too-common scenario. Many websites and apps depend on so many elements that one of any number of errors could cause the whole thing to fail. As prevalent as such instances may be, they’re preventable through the practice of graceful degradation.
Issue no.8: What we shipped
Figma’s editorial newsletter about how products take shape—and shape our world.
Figma 2024: We shipped it, you shaped it
From flagship features to little big updates, we take a look at how you shaped what we shipped in 2024.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Gaady Awards
The Gaady Awards are like the Emmy Awards for the field of digital accessibility. And, just like the Emmys, the Gaadys are a reason to celebrate! On November 21, GitHub was honored to roll out the red carpet for the accessibility community at our San Francisco headquarters.
Creating An Effective Multistep Form For Better User Experience — Smashing Magazine
Forms are already notoriously tough to customize and style — to the extent that we’re already starting to see new ideas for more flexible control. But what we don’t often discuss is designing good-form experiences beyond validation. That’s what Jima Victor discusses in this article, focusing specifically on creating multi-step forms that involve navigation between sections.
Next-level frosted glass with backdrop-filter
Glassy headers have become a core part of the “slick startup” UI toolkit, but they’re all missing that final 10% that really makes it shine. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create the most realistic lush frosted glass anywhere on the internet.
Why You Should Speak At Events As An Early-Career Professional — Smashing Magazine
Many talented professionals hold back from speaking at tech events, believing they need years of experience or expert status first. Drawing from her experience as a first-time speaker at WordPress Accessibility Day 2024, Victoria Nduka discusses how speaking at events benefits both individuals and the tech community.
The making of the Figma Pattern Library
UI3 prompted us to rebuild our own design system from the ground up. Here’s how designers and engineers came together to create a new foundation for building consistent, accessible products.
Why devs should play an active role in design
Advocating for Dev Mode changed my team’s workflow. Here’s how you can do the same.
Open-Source Meets Design Tooling With Penpot — Smashing Magazine
Penpot helps designers and developers work better together by offering a free, open-source design tool based on open web standards. Today, let’s explore its newly released Penpot Plugin System. So now, if there’s a functionality missing, you don’t need to jump into the code base straight away; you can create a plugin to achieve what you need. And you can even serve it from localhost!
Updating our web system for a new era
An inside look at how we leveraged Figma’s features to reimagine our web design system.
Tooltip Best Practices
What are tooltips, exactly? There's two kinds and the one you use has implications on the user experience, as Zell illustrates in this explainer on best practices.
Maximizing outputs with v0: From UI generation to code creation
Learn prompt engineering best practices for working with v0's core functionality to get the best results.
How Vercel adopted microfrontends
Learn how Vercel cut build times and improved developer velocity while maintaining a smooth user experience with microfrontends.
Made in Figma: The National Park Service goes from paper to pixels
How do you design an app for 431 diverse national parks and monuments? Learn how a small team adapted Massimo Vignelli’s seminal design system for a digital interface.
It’s Here! How To Measure UX & Design Impact, With Vitaly Friedman — Smashing Magazine
Design decisions shouldn’t be a matter of personal preference. We can use reliable design KPIs and UX metrics to guide and shape our design work and measure its impact on business. Meet How To Measure UX and Design Impact, our new video course that helps with just that.
How A Bottom-Up Design Approach Enhances Site Accessibility — Smashing Magazine
You can’t overstate the importance of accessible website design. By the same token, bottom-up philosophies are crucial in modern site-building. A detail-oriented approach makes it easier to serve a more diverse audience along several fronts. Making the most of this opportunity will both extend your reach to new niches and make the web a more equitable place.
Figma on Figma: Our approach to designing UI3
Overhauling Figma’s interface meant reimagining how designers work. Here’s how we shaped UI3 by balancing user feedback with our vision for the future.
The Timeless Power Of Spreadsheets — Smashing Magazine
In this age of endless newfangled organizational tools, the spreadsheet holds firm. Frederick O’Brien explains how, from engineering to design, they can still provide a rock-solid foundation for your work.
Embracing Introversion In UX — Smashing Magazine
This article aims to celebrate the power of introversion in UX research and design. Victor Yocco debunks common misconceptions, explores the unique strengths introverted researchers and designers bring to the table, and offers practical tips for thriving in a field that sometimes seems tailored for extroverts.
Figma on Figma: Evolving our visual language
From playful primitives to a vibrant new palette, we’re unveiling our latest brand evolution—one that speaks to all product builders.
Sanding UI
Jim hit a snag while working on a form. Placing labels next to inputs is trivial with flexbox, sure, but what happened in Jim's case was a bit of
Just our type: The story of creating Figma Sans
We’ve overhauled our entire visual identity from color palette to illustration style, and even commissioned a new typeface.
Quick Hit #14
Inclusive Design 24 is in 8 short days — and it's FREE, no sign-up required!
The Big Difference Between Digital Product And Web Design — Smashing Magazine
Designing for digital products requires a different mindset than traditional websites. It’s all about continuous adaptation, refining, and iterating as user behavior and needs evolve. Paul Boag reflects on the key differences, including how the frequency of usage impacts your design approach and what you can do about it.
Engineering with Empathy: My Journey to Understanding the User Experience
“What are your goals for this quarter?” It’s the question every manager asks, and one that often prompts a flurry of technical objectives and project milestones. Jumping into this internship, I knew my answer. I wanted to practice making informed decisions on my project, since that was one of the challenges I faced last summer.…
Breaking in: A guide to landing your first product design role
Curious about early career opportunities at Figma? Here are some tips on how to get your first product design job, along with insights on what we look for.
Mastering Typography In Logo Design — Smashing Magazine
Finding the right typeface for a logo is a challenge and can be a very time-consuming process that requires both creativity and a practical approach. Levi Honing provides the essential background and tools to enhance your typography journey and apply this knowledge to your logo design. Let’s dive deep to learn how to create a logo that is not only expressive but also purposeful and well-thought-ou
A year with Dev Mode: 10 lessons from an engineering manager
After integrating Dev Mode into our design system workflow, I’ve gathered several insights to help teams navigate this powerful tool. Here are my top takeaways.
The three Cs of Figma: A beginner’s guide to success
I spend a lot of my time helping others learn the basics of Figma. Here’s how I approached it, what I would do differently now, and the framework you can use to get started today.
Issue no.6: The prompt
Figma’s editorial newsletter about how products take shape—and shape our world.
If I Was Starting My Career Today: Thoughts After 15 Years Spent In UX Design (Part 1) — Smashing Magazine
In this two-part series, Andrii Zhdan outlines common challenges faced at the start of a design career and offers advice to smooth your journey based on insights from his experience hiring designers. Learn why mastering design tools is crucial, how to build a strong portfolio, and tips for acing your first interviews.
How HP powers up design handoff with Dev Mode
HP’s design system team reveals how they used Figma to streamline processes, break down silos, and save developers 98 minutes per week across their diverse product ecosystem.
Rethinking The Role Of Your UX Teams And Move Beyond Firefighting — Smashing Magazine
Many UX professionals often find themselves working alone, and usually face more projects impacting user experience than they can handle. In this article, Paul Boag explains how UX teams can be transformed into a significant driver of customer-centric innovation within organizations.
Build Design Systems With Penpot Components — Smashing Magazine
In today’s turbulent landscape of design, Penpot stands out with its commitment to open-source, free unlimited access, and its unique, robust features. An example could be its new components system that takes another leap forward in aligning design with code. Let
Crafting the visual identity for Config 2024
Figma’s Brand Studio on how they designed an immersive, dynamic conference experience—all in one Figma file.
When Friction Is A Good Thing: Designing Sustainable E-Commerce Experiences — Smashing Magazine
Today, UX design contributes to the problem of excessive consumption through persuasive e-commerce practices and designing for companies with linear and exploitative business models. Anna Rátkai explores practical steps we can take to reduce material consumption and the massive environmental impact that comes along with it by designing mindful shopping experiences.
Useful Customer Journey Maps (+ Figma & Miro Templates) — Smashing Magazine
Visualize the user experience with user journey maps. Here are some helpful templates, real-world applications, and insights on the importance of mapping both successful and unsuccessful touchpoints. Part of [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com) by yours truly.
How To Improve Your Microcopy: UX Writing Tips For Non-UX Writers — Smashing Magazine
Interface copy plays a crucial role in the overall user experience, helping guide users smoothly, allowing them to navigate easily through the app, discover and start using product features, and more. In this article, you’ll find simple, practical tips and a checklist to help you create a clear and concise microcopy, ensuring a seamless user experience.
Inside the redesigned Figma, where your work takes center stage
Our biggest redesign of Figma’s interface in five years clears space on the canvas for designers to turn their wildest imagination into reality.
Stack the deck with Figma Slides
Say goodbye to lackluster presentations. Today, we’re announcing the open beta of Figma Slides, here to set a new standard for telling visual stories that move work forward.
Making Figma work better for freelancers and agencies
As part of a broader effort to refine our billing model, we are sharing our roadmap to better address the needs of independent freelancers and agencies.
How To Make A Strong Case For Accessibility — Smashing Magazine
Gaining buy-in for accessibility can be challenging due to common myths and misunderstandings. For many, accessibility remains a big mystery. Here are some practical techniques for winning stakeholder support. Part of [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com) by yours truly.
Useful Email Newsletters For Designers — Smashing Magazine
Whether you want to take your user research skills to the next level, get better at UX writing, or stay up-to-date on the latest design trends, a newsletter is the perfect opportunity to get the best of the best resources delivered straight to your inbox on a regular basis. In this post, we highlight some design newsletters that you might want to consider subscribing to.
The Scent Of UX: The Unrealized Potential Of Olfactory Design — Smashing Magazine
Kristian Mikhel covers various practical applications of scents in product experience, from immersive entertainment to healing spaces and medical appliances, and how designers can drive innovation across spheres and disciplines.
