Figma onboarding made easy

Role

Interaction Designer

Timeline

12 weeks

This was a solo project.

How might we help new Figma users feel confident and self-sufficient by reducing their dependence on online tutorials, cutting learning time in half, and keeping their motivation high?

FigMate

Case study

This project was part of an Amazon-Sponsored Externship mentored by Amazon's UX Researcher, Monica Chan. I worked alongside 6 more UX designers under Monica's guidance to successfully execute this project in 16 weeks.

Context setting

What and why

Have you ever struggled to learn a software on your own?

If you have, don't worry - we're all in the same boat! My design background pushed me to learn 15+ tools, but I barely use half today. Poor onboarding made tasks confusing and left me wasting time hunting for help online.

So, I decided to do something about it.

Is the problem Real?

Confirmed by 20+ designers and online research

Why Figma?

  • Access to emerging designers

  • Deepen my Figma skills ( personally and professionally

Final solution

Glimpse before diving into the details

Category and level

  • Craft specific goals you have in mind - you can even attach images for reference.

  • AI will create animated thumbnails displaying the goal you'll learn in that tutorial.

Learn-by-doing tutorials

  • Tutorials for UX designers' needs. Visual guidance - expanding triggers an animation to preview end goal.

  • Select how deeply you want to learn Figma’s mechanics and workflows.

AI tailored goals

  • Step-by-step animated guidance by FigMate - simply follow along or use the steps to craft your own unique designs.

  • Spotlight - dims the interface and highlights each tool with animated demos to focus attention.

  • A new playback bar to learn at your own pace.

Design system

( click to zoom)

Prototype

To really enjoy the experience of my final solution, try out the Figma prototype. Simply press 'R' to refresh and enjoy from the beginning.

Prototype

The process

How did I get here?

My iterative process, every detail, and my rationale behind every decision.

Research

Secondary

Important insights

Cognitive

  • Visual guides

  • Categorizing info

Gamification

  • Keeps motivation high

Method

  • Learn-by-doing is the best way to go

Progress bars

  • Effective estimation

Concepts

Early ideas

  • Figma's YouTube channel is over crowded. This idea simplifies that - categorizing Figma mechanics and arranging them in terms of complexity.

  1. Organized videos

  • A new Figma AI tool that help find/craft video tutorials according to your specific need.

  1. Figma AI

Research

Primary

7x user Interviews

7x faculty Interviews

3x contextual inquiries

  • Visual guides make it easier to understand new concepts

  • For software - very important to build muscle memory early on

  • Have specific and meaningful goals

User journey

Derived from the interviews

Concept flow

Progression from initial to final

Based on the research insights, I developed my early concepts. Instead of categorized videos, I moved towards a more hands-on experience (learn-by-doing).

Initial

Flow 1.0

Flow 2.0

  • Split screen - Easier to learn without leaving Figma and breaking the learning flow.

  • Split screen was taking too much real-estate. So I removed the video, and thought of a bot that would animate each step with instructions instead.

  • Once I user-tested the concept (Flow 1.0), I mapped out the entire flow.

Iterations

and usability tests

7 screens - hover to pause the carousel slider

Mid-Fi mockups

Usability test

I used the Wizard of Oz method by connecting with users on Zoom, using Figma’s collaboration feature to mimic the bot and demonstrate animations and instructions in real time. They LOVED the concept and the spotlight feature!

Insights - usability test

Terminology

Unsure to select tasks w/o understanding what they meant

Visuals

Visual aid while selecting a task to grasp the end goal

Accessibility

Confusion on where to access FigMate from

Progress bar

Confusion on how far they've come and how much is left

I conducted multiple usability tests at various stages of the process

Final Iterations

Hi-fi iterations

Explain + Visual guide

Updated tool bar

  • Expandable categories - reveals info in simple words + visuals of final goal

  • Added FigMate icon on the toolbar - Access anytime and continue progress

Progress bar

  • Progress bar to jump to any step

Impact

User satisfaction

Logo design

  • Modified the existing Figma logo

Library

  • A library page to keep track and to start a new one

Prototype

The real experience

Prototype

The best way to experience - working prototype! Remember to press 'R' so it reloads from the beginning.

There's more

All iterations

All the other iterations and explorations that helped me get to the final solution. Simply expand to see them.

Expand to see

Thank you

home

about

work

resume