Figma Revolutionizes Design with Code Layers and AI-Powered Features

Figma, the popular design platform, has just unveiled a major update that's set to transform the way designers, product managers, and programmers collaborate.

Code Layers: A Game-Changer for Designers

Figma's latest update introduces code layers, enabling teams to clone repositories and extract flows from code to design layers for testing. This feature makes it easier for teams to iterate on ideas and prototype designs without worrying about the quality of the code. Yuhki Yamashita, Figma's chief product officer, explained that code layers are perfect for rapid exploration and prototyping, where the focus is on experimentation rather than creating pristine code.

"We think the multiplayer canvas is really powerful because this is an environment where you don't really care about the quality of the code. If you're rapidly exploring or need to kind of explore a bunch of new directions, you can do that in this spatial way. We hope that this feature produces different behavior not just with designers, but also with engineers and PMs," Yuhki said.

Animations, Transitions, and 3D Transforms

The update also brings support for animations, transitions, and 3D transforms, enabling designers to integrate these features directly into Figma. This means designers no longer have to create animations in other software and convert them to code that the app can understand.

• Figma is now also supporting shader effects and fills using AI, allowing designers to create complex visual effects with ease.
• The company has acquired node-based tool Weavy, which will be integrated with Figma to enable users to generate workflows directly within the app.

AI-Powered Features

Figma is also adding new skills to its AI assistant, making it more useful with the collaborative canvas. Users can now write text prompts to create repeatable skills that AI agents can use. Additionally, users can connect tools like Notion, Granola, Excel, and GitHub, or attach files to give the AI bot more context about what they want it to do.

• The company is also introducing a feature to help users create custom plugins, like layout generators or vector path tracers, with prompts.

Figma's latest update is a significant step towards revolutionizing the design process. By introducing code layers, AI-powered features, and enhanced collaboration tools, the platform is poised to become an even more powerful tool for designers, product managers, and programmers alike.