Figma is completely redesigning the user interface of its design tool and introducing new AI functionalities.

Figma is holding its annual conference in San Francisco this week. This year’s event has symbolic significance because it is the first edition since the failed merger with Adobe. Figma seemed to be on track to be acquired by Adobe for twenty billion dollars, but regulators didn’t like that.

Figma hasn’t let up since then, announcing a brand new UI with rounder corners and collapsible panels. All layout-related options, including width, height, and auto-layout, are grouped into one panel to make it easier for users to find the right settings.

It is the third major overhaul that Figma has undertaken. Figma has tried to find the right balance between making the interface more attractive to new users while remaining familiar to current users. The new design lays “the foundation for the coming decade,” Figma writes in a blog.

Design with AI

We are in 2024 and therefore generative AI must also be discussed. Figma demonstrates new AI-based features that make creating a design a breeze. Based on a text description, Figma can design an app design or a website. The focus of the AI ​​additions is to help both experienced and new users develop and implement creative design ideas.

Figma assures that it does not train its AI models on users’ work. This addition is not unimportant. Adobe got into a dispute with its customers after the company changed its terms of service, which suggested that the company would end its access to users’ work.

In addition, Figma also offers an alternative to PowerPoint and Google Slides for creating slides. It will have the very original name Figma Slides. The updated design and the announced features with and without AI will be available to beta testers from Wednesday.