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▲ miguel-muniz 4 hours ago

To speak more broadly, Figma is in a really tough spot right now. I see more and more designers in my circle saying they are skipping design tools entirely to prototype in code or ship directly in their product's code base. Honestly I find myself doing the same.

Figma's main value used to be in providing designers a canvas to iterate and explore ideas since the majority of designers did not code, but AI has completely changed that.

I fear Figma's reluctance to integrate with all the popular AI tools might actually accelerate their decline. AI provides so much value, that I would rather base my software purchasing decisions around what is compatible with my AI of choice rather than pick an AI that is compatible with Figma.

▲jeffybefffy519 28 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I always thought it was weird that Figma didnt close the gap of taking a design and implementing it in code, that seems like what AI could enable too...

▲14u2c 12 minutes ago | parent [-]

They tried. Figma Make was at least useful for the free tokens.

▲sergiotapia an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I've had good success in my org with Paper. Non-technical people can just jam and explore ideas without worrying about Figma or whatever tools UI/UX tools. Vibes all the way down.

▲evanjrowley an hour ago | parent [-]

Can you link us to Paper? I doubt I will find it by searching online for "Paper design tool"

▲sergiotapia an hour ago | parent [-]

https://paper.design/

▲oh_no 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

yeah it's 100% the wrong move for them to make, I think there is probably a lot of value in AI driving Figma, and if I can't do that, Figma will fall out of the ecosystem.

▲miguel-muniz 4 hours ago | parent [-]

They have their own agent built into Figma, which of course uses credits which you must pay Figma for.

▲dataviz1000 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Everyone is in a really tough spot.

The AI companies focused most their effort on writing software and continue to do so. Software, SaaS, and software engineers are the first to be disrupted.

> but AI has completely changed that.

Exactly. However, it is because AI is focused on solving writing software first which is the step to solving everything else.

▲varispeed 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The poor value proposition of Figma is that nobody even bothers to vibe code a competitor. It's useless.

▲timcobb 2 hours ago | parent [-]

You just described Claude Design?

▲locallost 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I think it's really interesting how these areas are merging, and I'm not sure who goes. Designers or "coders". Probably both depending on the context. The expectations though from every field seems to be that they'll be the last man standing. My best guess is, management has the worst cards.

I am 100% in agreement that companies that try to shut down access to agents will be replaced. It's just the future for a lot of work and workflows. In a way it's an opportunity for someone.

▲TeMPOraL 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> I think it's really interesting how these areas are merging, and I'm not sure who goes. Designers or "coders".

Neither of them, not yet. What will go away is the products currently used by these groups.

It's happening in software development, too. In the past 3 months, I used an IDE for maybe few hours total. 99% of my technical work is now easier and better done through agentic chat interface.

▲miguel-muniz 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I struggled with this myself, the reality is that AI can automate the work of everyone in the traditional product team trio (pm, design, dev).

The way I have made peace with it in my mind is at the end of the day, I am the expert in UI/UX. There are many product teams I've joined that have operated without a designer and you can tell (bless their souls). Component libraries, templates, articles, video courses, and etc. have all existed throughout this time so it's not like they've been operating completely blind to design and UX. I don't think AI would be different. Sure it may raise the floor a little, but in the end someone needs to evaluate the output and hold responsibility for the UI/UX.

It was an uncomfortable idea to come to terms with though, I like many other designers spent a decade getting good at Figma. Figma and design almost felt intertwined for a moment, but designers have a long history of having their craft disrupted by new technology. Decades ago designers were cutting and pasting paper, then moved to digital publishing; and in product design we've gone through software such as Photoshop, Fireworks, Sketch, and Figma, just to name a few. Design has survived all this and will continue to survive in the future.

I think the same applies to the other disciplines. Sure I could have AI spin up a backend, but I don't really have the expertise to understand whether what it is doing is good or full of security vulnerabilities.

I don't know in the future if we will create a new path for product builders, individuals who are knowledgeable in all aspects of product management, software engineering, and product design. I also don't know if teams will have as much need for individuals with the efficiency gains from AI.