Role
UX Design Consultant
Timeline
Feb - June 2022
Location
Berkeley, CA
About Figma
With 4+ million users, Figma is a collaborative interface-design tool that enables teams and individuals to brainstorm, design, and build complex digital products with ease.
Work
User Research, Market Research & Competitor Analysis, User Interviews, User Surveying, Wireframing, Prototyping, UI/UX Design, Product Design, Social Media Marketing, Graphic Design, Slide Decking
Project Overview
Phase 1
Phase 2
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User Research & Interviews
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Competitor Analysis
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Social Media Marketing Recommendations & Insights
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Competitor Analysis
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Learning Center Ideation
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Lo-fi Sketch to High Fidelity Prototyping
Competitor Research & Analysis
Our team conducted competitor analysis on 6 companies to better understand specific use cases, marketing strategies, and social media marketing content to bolster Figma's online presence and audience engagement. We researched their strengths, similarities and differences, and unique approaches to content creation.
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We focused on trends and consistent themes, subjects and topics, as well as user participation. I specifically studied Canva, and found that diversity of content, visual trends, and campaigns that encourage user participation were most successful in promoting brand awareness and customer interaction.
User Research & Insights
We conducted 207 user surveys, focusing on Berkeley students and segmenting respondents by whether they were Figma Designers, Designers who don't use Figma, or Non-Designers interested in using Figma.
User Segments
Figma Designers
Non-Figma Designers
Non-Designers
We found that for Figma Designers and the overall design community, there is not enough engagement between the brand and the users – whether on social media, the website, or learning platforms.
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Figma Designers are often self-taught and utilize external resources for educational purposes, while Non-Figma Designers and Non-Designers alike struggle with onboarding to Figma due to a lack of resources and content.
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Thus, more marketing initiatives and a Figma learning hub are necessary, which our solution involves.
User Survey Demographics
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Based on our surveys and segmented user groups, we discovered that Figma users tend to say Instagram is their most used social media platform, almost twice as often as Tiktok was mentioned. However, for non-Figma designers, Tiktok seemed to be their most-used platform almost equally as often as Instagram.
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Because Figma doesn't currently have a Tiktok account or following, this would be an opportunity to expand their audience and brand awareness.
User Interviews & Personas
From our pool of survey respondents, we conducted 20+ user interviews to understand how users learn design tools, how they best receive educational content, and what their barriers to learning are. From these, we identified key pain points for individuals trying to learn Figma and engage with Figma's marketing content.
Based on user interviews, Figma designers are typically
self-taught and use external resources or web searches to supplement their understanding of Figma.
I specifically focused on Figma Designers to better
understand what type of content they are most receptive to,
as well as their own struggles with using Figma.
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Key Insight
Whether Figma Designers, Non-Figma Designers, or Non-Designers, users have difficulty learning Figma because of the absence of a centralized resource for tutorials, tips, and general educational content. Thus, Phase 2 of our project focuses on addressing this by creating a Figma Learning Center, where users can receive personalized suggestions and use-case specific educational content that lowers the barrier of entry to Figma.
Competitor Research & Analysis
We found that concise content-length, diverse content types for varying levels, progress-tracking, and a collaborative, community-oriented system were most central to building a robust learning platform for users.
Focusing in on design learning centers, we conducted competitor analysis on 6 companies to understand how they provide educational content to their users, what features they offer, and how Figma can adopt certain aspects.
Feature Ideation
In the early stages of ideation, we began by verbally brainstorming, writing out ideas and structures, as well as sketching out lo-fi wireframes of how a learning center might look.
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After each sharing our sketches, we began to label and draw out exactly which frames were necessary and how each frame would function and connect respectively to the others, prior to designing.
Designs & Prototypes
As our final deliverable, we designed a high-fidelity functioning Figma prototype with 40+ frames that ideates the interface for a Figma Learning Center. With a focus on community, personalization, and accessibility, we created this prototype to streamline the Figma learning experience and bolster the brand-customer relationship.
The Learning Center
Dashboard
& Profile
Central access points and user-focused pages that promote personalization, content discovery, and user achievement.
Community
& Discover
Community-based pages that promotes interaction, collaboration-based learning, and heightened user involvement in the Figma Community.
Course Catalog
& Learning Pathways
Course-specific content and learning flows that prioritize user-specific use cases, content filtering, and course exploration to increase user engagement and education.
The Dashboard
The Dashboard is a centralized access point for all resources to provide a holistic overview of featured content, courses or tutorials, and customized suggestions specific to the user. This acts as a landing page for the user to jump to new learning pathways, watch social media content, access videos, upcoming events, or popular community favorites.
The Profile
The Profile Page acts as a consistent page for users to access their own progress, badges, and notifications. It also allows for the user to receive personalized learning suggestions that encompass their specific interests, and allows them to customize a profile that accurately reflects their skills and passions to other users they may interact with.
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Badge Goals:
User progress will be measurable and rewarded by badges that show their course achievements on the public profile and allow user to work towards benchmarks to increase Figma usage.
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Suggested for You:
Users will receive personalized course recommendations that encourage them to learn different aspects of Figma, making them more engaged with Figma's educational content and product.
Your Work: Profile Photo Feed
To show off their Figma final products and artistic creations – whether from Figma courses or personal – users will be allowed to post their work to the community to encourage others to use Figma and interact with others.
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Tell Us About Yourself:
Based on competitor analysis, I designed a user quiz that provides personalized recommendations for the user to improve their user experience. This would also increase engagement when users are better able to receive relevant, interesting, and personalized content.
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In Progress & Completed Courses:
Users will have tabs for courses they're in the process of taking or have completed. This includes the ability to see which of their friends have taken it, to share the course, or view similar courses for additional guidance and recommendations.
Community & Course Catalog
Thinking Back & Looking Ahead
This was such an amazing project to work on, and I loved designing the deliverable and prototypes using Figma's playful, colorful, and fun branding elements! Through this project, I definitely learned how interconnected product design and marketing are. Not only is having a phenomenal product important, but also the resources and content to help people understand the product to even begin to use it. I was able to learn more about the research and prototyping process, and I enjoyed it so much!