Figma's HUGE AI Updates: ConFig 2024 in 14-Minutes

Figma's AI updates at ConFig 2024 have revolutionized design workflows. New features like multi-select, AI-generated designs, and intelligent layer naming streamline the design process. The introduction of Figma Slides offers a seamless presentation experience with auto-layout, color syncing, and interactive design integration. Updates to Dev Mode, including code connect and focus view, enhance collaboration between designers and developers. These innovations empower creators to build unique products in an AI-assisted future.

Takeaways

• 😀 Figma introduces AI updates that significantly enhance ease of use and functionality, catering to both novice and experienced designers.
• 🔍 The multi-select feature and the ability to search for similar designs within Figma greatly improve the design process by reducing the time spent on finding specific elements.
• 🛠️ AI-assisted design prompts, such as creating a pizza finder app or a personal portfolio, allow for rapid prototyping and ideation directly within Figma.
• 📈 The introduction of Figma Slides aims to streamline the presentation creation process, integrating seamlessly with Figma's design capabilities.
• 🎨 Auto layout and vector editing features are further enhanced with AI, allowing for dynamic content adjustments and responsive design adaptations.
• 🌐 The ability to preview designs in different languages helps identify and address layout issues that may arise due to language-specific text lengths.
• 📝 AI-powered layer naming and organization features streamline the workflow, making it easier for designers to manage and navigate through complex projects.
• 📱 Prototype creation is simplified with AI assistance, which automatically suggests connections between screens and elements within the design.
• 🌌 Updates to Dev mode include new indicators for edited states, a ready-for-Dev view, and focus view, catering to the iterative nature of design and development.
• 🔗 Code Connect emerges from beta, offering improved linking between code and Figma components, and expanding support for various development frameworks.
• 📚 The integration of the latest iOS 18 and Material 3 kits within Figma ensures that designers have access to up-to-date resources for their projects.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video 'Figma's HUGE AI Updates: ConFig 2024'?

The main topic of the video is the introduction and discussion of Figma's significant AI updates and features presented at the ConFig 2024 event.

What is the significance of multi-select in Figma according to the speaker?

The multi-select feature in Figma is significant as it allows users to select multiple elements and perform actions on them simultaneously, enhancing productivity and ease of use.

How does the AI in Figma help in creating a pizza finder app?

The AI in Figma assists by generating a design for a pizza finder app with a map and a card for a selected restaurant when prompted with a command, showcasing its capability to quickly create design elements based on user input.

What is the 'make it' command in Figma and how does it work?

The 'make it' command in Figma is an AI-driven feature that allows users to generate designs based on textual prompts. It can create designs for various applications, like a personal portfolio or a specific theme, by incorporating elements such as images and text.

What is the AI feature that helps in finding the Figma file for a particular design?

The AI feature that helps in finding the Figma file for a particular design is the 'search for similar' command, which identifies and retrieves the correct screen from within Figma based on the user's query.

How does the AI assist in overcoming the fear of a blank canvas for new designers?

The AI assists new designers by providing a starting point through prompts and generating initial designs, which helps to overcome the fear of a blank canvas and encourages them to start their design process.

What is the purpose of the 'name layers' feature in Figma?

The 'name layers' feature in Figma is designed to automatically rename layers based on the design elements they contain, making it easier for designers to organize and navigate through their work.

How does Figma's AI help in creating a prototype for an application?

Figma's AI helps in creating a prototype by suggesting connections between screens, identifying sources and targets, and allowing for easy navigation and interaction within the prototype.

What is the new feature 'Figma Slides' and how does it improve presentation creation?

Figma Slides is a new feature that streamlines the process of creating presentations directly within Figma. It offers automatic color and text adjustments, grid mode for an overview of the presentation, and the ability to embed interactive designs, enhancing the overall presentation experience.

What updates are introduced to 'Dev Mode' in Figma to support iterative design processes?

Updates to 'Dev Mode' in Figma include new indicators for edited states, a 'ready for Dev' view to see work in progress and ready designs, and a focus view that removes canvas clutter to inspect designs more clearly.

What is 'Code Connect' and how does it benefit developers?

Code Connect is a feature that links Figma components to code in a developer's codebase, making it easier to access and use connected code within the Figma component playground. It supports a faster set of processes and is now out of beta with improvements and support for various platforms.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 AI-Powered Design Tools in Figma

The speaker discusses the integration of AI into design tools, specifically highlighting Figma's capabilities. They mention the ease of creating a pizza finder app with a map and card for a selected restaurant, changing themes, and generating a personal portfolio for an architect. The AI's ability to search for similar designs and components within Figma is emphasized, along with the convenience of finding and incorporating specific screens from a project. The speaker also touches on the challenges faced by junior designers and how AI can help overcome the fear of a blank canvas, as well as the usefulness of AI in managing multiple Figma files across projects.

05:02

📑 Introducing Figma Slides and Design Iteration

The speaker introduces Figma Slides, a new feature that streamlines the creation of presentations within Figma. They demonstrate how Figma Slides automatically updates text colors when changing slide backgrounds and how grid mode provides a comprehensive view of the entire presentation, allowing for easy reordering of slides. The speaker also showcases the template picker for maintaining a consistent look and feel, the multi-select feature, and the ability to animate slides. They discuss the challenges designers face with traditional presentation tools and how Figma Slides addresses these issues, including the integration of interactive designs and prototypes directly into presentations.

10:04

🛠️ Enhancing Developer Experience with Figma's Dev Mode

The speaker delves into updates to Figma's Dev mode, aimed at improving the workflow for developers. They discuss the introduction of 'Suggest Auto layout' for easier design setup, the availability of the latest iOS 18 and Material 3 kits, and an overhauled assets panel for better organization and searchability. The speaker also covers the new 'ready for Dev' view, which helps identify work in progress and completed designs, and 'Focus view' for inspecting designs without canvas clutter. The updates to Code Connect, which links code to Figma components, are highlighted, along with the new statuses for edited and completed designs. The speaker concludes by discussing the availability of these features across different Figma plans.

15:07

🔮 The Future of Design with AI and Spatial Computing

In the final paragraph, the speaker speculates on the future of design with AI and spatial computing. They predict that the role of designers will shift towards problem-solving and creative direction, as AI takes over more visual design tasks. The speaker encourages the exploration of AI tools, such as image generation software and AI integrations, to understand their capabilities and limitations. They emphasize the importance of staying adaptable and learning from the AI community to prepare for the changes in the design industry.

Keywords

AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the context of the video, AI is central to Figma's updates, enabling features like automatic design generation, content suggestions, and intelligent layer naming. For example, the script mentions using AI to create a 'pizza finder app' or a 'personal portfolio' with minimal input from the user.

Figma

Figma is a cloud-based interface design and collaboration tool used by designers and developers. The video discusses significant updates to Figma's AI capabilities, demonstrating how it can streamline the design process. The script illustrates this with instances of quickly generating designs and automating tasks within Figma.

Multi-select

Multi-select is a feature that allows users to select and manipulate multiple elements simultaneously within a design tool. The script highlights the excitement around this feature, suggesting it as a long-awaited addition to Figma that will improve workflow efficiency for designers.

Figma Slides

Figma Slides is a new product introduced in the video that allows users to create presentations directly within Figma. It offers features like automatic color and text adjustments, grid mode for an overview of the presentation, and the ability to integrate interactive designs. The script showcases how it simplifies the process of making cohesive presentations based on Figma designs.

Auto Layout

Auto Layout is a feature in Figma that automatically adjusts the layout of design elements based on predefined constraints. The script discusses an update called 'Suggest Auto Layout' that makes it easier for users to get started with this feature, helping to maintain consistent design structures.

Prototyping

Prototyping in design refers to creating a representation of a product's user interface that can interact and function in a way similar to the final product. The video describes how AI can assist in creating prototypes by suggesting connections between screens and even handling the search functionality within the prototype.

Dev Mode

Dev Mode in Figma is a set of tools designed to facilitate the handoff of design work to developers. The script outlines updates to Dev Mode, including new indicators for edited frames, a 'ready for Dev' view, and a focus view that simplifies the inspection of designs, all aimed at supporting iterative design processes.

Code Connect

Code Connect is a feature that links Figma components to their corresponding code implementations, making it easier for developers to access and use design elements. The script mentions that Code Connect is coming out of beta with improvements like faster processing and support for various platforms, enhancing the connection between design and development.

Responsive Design

Responsive design is an approach to crafting web and application interfaces that adapt to different屏幕尺寸, resolutions, and orientations. The video discusses a new responsive setting for the prototype viewer in Figma, allowing designers to test how their designs will look across various devices.

Material 3

Material 3 is the latest design language by Google that focuses on embracing dynamism, materiality, and hierarchy in digital interfaces. The script refers to the inclusion of Material 3 kits in Figma, enabling designers to create designs that adhere to this updated design language.

Spatial Computing

Spatial Computing refers to the intersection of 3D computing and spatial awareness, often used in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications. While not the main focus of the video, the script's closing remarks suggest that spatial computing, combined with AI, represents the future of human-computer interaction.

Highlights

Figma introduces AI updates at ConFig 2024, showcasing new features to streamline design processes.

AI's multi-select feature in Figma allows for easier selection and manipulation of multiple design elements.

Figma's new 'Actions' feature enables users to create complex designs with simple text commands.

AI can generate a personal portfolio website for architects, including images and themes, with a single command.

Figma's 'search for similar' command helps users find and utilize design elements from within the platform.

AI assists in overcoming the fear of the blank canvas by providing initial design baselines and prompts.

Figma's new features make it easier for junior designers to start their projects and case studies.

AI can help find specific Figma files through screenshot recognition and search commands.

Figma's AI can suggest and implement auto-layout for designs, making the process more efficient.

The 'name layers' feature in Figma uses AI to automatically and intelligently name layers in a design.

Figma's AI can prototype interfaces, suggesting connections between screens for interactive flows.

Figma Slides is introduced as a new product, integrating presentation capabilities within Figma.

Figma Slides allows for automatic color and text adjustments, ensuring design consistency.

The grid mode in Figma Slides provides a bird's eye view of the entire presentation for easy navigation.

Figma's new 'Suggest Auto Layout' feature simplifies the process of creating responsive designs.

Figma's Dev mode receives updates to better support iterative design processes with new views and statuses.

Code Connect, now out of beta, links Figma components with code in the codebase for streamlined development.

Figma's new 'Focus View' helps designers concentrate on specific design elements without distractions.

Figma's updates aim to differentiate designers by emphasizing the importance of their craft in the AI era.