Figma
Role
Work + Skills
UX Design & Marketing
Consultant
Timeline
Spring 2022, 12 Week Contract
The Team
User Research, Market Research & Analysis, User Interviews & Surveying, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Interface & UX Design, Product Design, Slide Decking,
Hanson Li, Derek Tan, Rachel Hua, Gigi Huang, Joseph Schull, Oliver Johansson, Luke Wu
Building a centralized and
engaging Figma learning experience.
The Problem
On Miro, the apps and plugins library is diverse yet obscure, leaving users overwhelmed, confused, and hesitant. Due to the high barrier of entry, users rarely engage with apps because they are unsure how or where to start.
Our task was to create a solution to integrate two separate features, apps and templates, into a singular streamlined experience that helps users navigate and access tools with ease.
The Process
Phase 1
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User Research & Interviews
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Competitor Analysis
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Social Media Marketing Insights
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Phase 2
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Competitor Analysis
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Learning Center Ideation
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Lo-fi to Hi-fi Prototyping
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Phase 1 – Our Focus
Through user research and wide breadth of data analysis methods, we aimed to generate actionable insights and recommendations for Figma's social media channels.
Competitor Research & Analysis
Our team conducted competitor research on 6 competitors to better understand user engagement strategies, consistent themes, and social media marketing content that Figma could use to bolster their online presence and community involvement.
I focused on Canva, and found the following were most successful at fostering an engaged and brand-pasionate user base / community:
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Clear use cases and segments
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Low design barrier of entry
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Humanizing customers by featuring their stories
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Diversity of content
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Visual trends and cohesiveness
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Design competition campaigns
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, 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.
Thus, more marketing initiatives and a Figma learning hub are necessary.
User Survey Demographics
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Based on surveys, 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.
Because Figma doesn't currently have a Tiktok account or following, this would be an opportunity to expand their audience and brand awareness.
User Research
Synthesis
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.
User Personas
I specifically focused on Figma Designers to better
understand what type of content they are most receptive to, and found their biggest frustrations were with learning Figma's complex prototyping features and finding thorough resources to do so.
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User Insights
Based on user interviews, Figma designers are typically self-taught and use external resources or web searches to supplement their understanding of Figma. They value the simplicity and intuitive interface, though struggle more when learning how to create complex design systems.
Key Findings
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.
Phase 2 – Our Focus
Prototype an effective Figma learning experience and resource center that prioritizes personalization and community engagement.
Competitor
Research & Analysis
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.
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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.
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 pages that promote interaction, collaboration-based learning, and user involvement
in the Figma Community.
Course Catalog
& Pathways
Course content that prioritizes user-specific needs, 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. This encourages users to work towards benchmarks and increases their Figma usage.
Suggested Courses
Users will receive personalized course recommendations that encourage them to learn Figma, making them more engaged with the educational content and product.
"Tell Us About Yourself" Quiz
Based on competitor analysis, I designed a user quiz that provides personalized recommendations for the user, which would increase engagement by providing relevant, interesting, and personalized content.
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.
Course Progress
Community & Course Catalog
Thank You for
Reaching the End!
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!