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Adobe To Acquire Figma, Will This Impact Your UX Designers?
It’s almost a guarantee that if you’re in the digital design industry, you’ve used Adobe software before. The software company hosts essential programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and Adobe XD. For most creatives, Adobe XD has always been the number one choice when it comes to UX design.
However Figma, a free and more collaborative UX/UI design software has caught the attention of the designers in your studio, too. So with Adobe’s intent to acquire Figma, users of both programs are concerned about what changes are to come and how they'll impact the future of UX design. Will the consequences of Adobe’s decision outweigh the benefits?
What Is Figma?
If you haven’t heard about Figma already, it’s a UX/UI design software available to the general public for no cost. It’s also well loved for its collaborative elements, allowing users to share templates, tutorials and designs with ease. These features have garnered Figma a community of loyal users dedicated to sharing the platform with others. This supportive online feedback and vast library of design templates, have encouraged users new to UX/UI design to try it out for themselves.
Some of the key features that attract designers like yours to Figma:
- Collaboration is simpler and more user friendly
- Figma uses Slack for its team communication
- Figma allows for real-time file updates/saves
- Files are stored online to save storage space
- A vast library of user-supplied design templates
All these features contribute to Figma’s approachable reputation amongst the younger generation. Most of their digital marketing is geared towards Gen-Z, with a strong presence on TikTok and Instagram. With their perceived mission of adopting the next generation of UX designers, how will a more traditional company like Adobe impact their brand's likability?
Is Figma The Future Of UX Design?
On September 15th 2022, the CEO of Figma announced their collaboration with Adobe via a blog post. CEO Dylan Field, revealed this deal had been in progress for several months and shared some details about the intention behind his decision. In Field's blog post he addresses the concerns from daily Figma users, stating the partnership would only result in a positive reaction from users. The two significant points Field made in his blog post were the huge opportunity for growth with Adobe and that he plans to continue operating Figma as its own company within Adobe Suite. Meaning, Field made it clear that he has no plans to change any key elements of Figma and as of now, including the price.
What About Adobe XD?
Adobe XD has been well loved and respected by industry professionals since its 2016 release date. The software provided reliable tools for UX designers and would continue to expand in functionality with each update. However the general consensus on Adobe XD from aspiring UX designers, is that the software appears too complex and intimidating to learn with. It’s safe to say this would be Adobe XD’s biggest issue with consumers, an issue Figma could resolve.
With social media encouraging gen-z to get involved in tech, marketing UX/UI software takes a much different strategy than what we’ve become accustomed to. Despite the loyalty from industry professionals using Adobe XD, it’s clear Figma has the edge in securing the next generation of UX designers. There’s still no word from Adobe on changes being made to XD.
Summary
Overall Figma users should be happy as the CEO seems intent on keeping Figma as accessible and free as it was prior to the merge with Adobe...for now. However there’s less to be said for Adobe XD fans, with little to no information on how Figma will impact the future of the program. Unfortunately, loyal Adobe XD users are advised to make the switch to Figma, with most designers predicting the program will slowly become irrelevant once Figma expands.
Using resources from Adobe, Figma will quickly become the more comprehensive UX design software and no doubt take the digital design industry to new heights. If you need help refreshing your UX design strategy, feel free to reach out to our digital agency Melbourne team for a consultation.
