10 new features for Figma that would solve lots of headaches
By: Julian Jensen
Tags: Figma, UI, Product Design, Prototyping, UX

1. Round-trip component editing.

There’s a “Go To Master Component” option when you need to edit a component from the frame you’re on. What about a way to return to the design you were initially working on? I spend 10% of my time zooming around my pages to find the right frame I was working on. “Return to design” would be a phenomenal button and/or keyboard shortcut. Also a solid metaphor for these 9 other feature requests.

2. Show me where my components live.

If you’re making a design system, sometimes you use components, other times you make things that you never end up using. Show us where components are used in a project file (or even across files). Either list the layers or reveal a clickable overlay where these components are. Designers who have systems can then remove components they’re not using. I could see someone spending hours trying to figure out if Icon XYZ is actually being used somewhere.

3. Remove all prototype links.

Currently, users have to click on each link and remove them one by one. It’s frustrating. How about a “Remove All” button for that frame? Easy enough.

4. Drag & drop image uploading into a mask.

This would save a lot of headaches clicking to edit image layers and searching for files over and over. You can option + command + drag components onto existing ones to replace them. Images would be great too, because profile photos don’t come in one flavor!

5. A new background layer type.

Fixed and Scrolls are already game-changers for building working prototypes. What about a Background type? Too often there are things like search bars that scroll on top of images or map backgrounds. Yes, Overflow Behaviors solve this, but always seem to be slow/buggy when previewing a prototype on mobile or desktop. Backgrounds need some love too.

6. Mobile app.

I have the app running next to my desktop app all the time. What about some updates to make it more robust, faster, and work on tablets? Ooh—one more thing: Saving Prototypes to the device would be killer for user testing.

7. Unsplash photo integration.

They have an API, and it would help a ton of designers insert great photography into their designs. Search + Insert/Drag photos would be simple enough to add via the toolbar.

8. Current users’ ring colors.

Red, yellow, green, purple and orange? They all indicate the same status? Really? How about green or better yet, a little green dot if someone is actively viewing the file. That’s universally understood. Also, orange is not a good default background color for users. Black & white is a solid choice. AAA accessibility contrast ratio for little things like these go a long way.

9. Share button.

I’m nitpicking, but light blue? I understand you need to call it out, but a white background would be just fine. When you look at the toolbar, blue makes more sense as a “you’ve selected this option” highlight color. Most share buttons on desktop UI tend to be in the upper right anyways—no need for any more baby blue when we’re looking at designs for over 8 hours/day.

10. Prototype linking between pages.

Designers tend to keep things organized across pages. Linking our prototype screens across pages would be phenomenal. This would be awesome for teams who have delegated design work for a single product into segmented tasks like homepage versus settings. The Power Rangers could combine their powers, Figma, be our Megazord.