Figma is rolling out its third redesigned user interface, UI3, aimed at making the company even more competitive with Adobe. New are native AI features that accelerate workflows, letting teams build high-quality software. Available in limited beta, Figma AI adds the ability to generate design drafts with a single prompt, enabling rapid experimentation and prototyping. The move advances Figma’s goal of moving beyond design tool to a full-blown product development platform, while making the service intuitive and friendly enough for novices while maintaining the full features demanded by Sigma’s professional users.

“In a world where more software is being created and reimagined because of AI, designing and building products is everyone’s business,” Figma co-founder and CEO Dylan Field said on VentureBeat, adding that “Figma wants to make it possible for teams to go from idea to product — all in one place” with AI-enhanced tools that elevate design and, for developers, “create stronger connections between design and code.”

UI3 adds visual search that “resembles how Google Lens or Pinterest Lens works,” VentureBeat reports. “Visual Search lets you find and reuse designs by uploading an image, selecting an area on your canvas, or entering a text query,” Figma explains in a blog post.

The feature will then “instantly retrieve similar designs from across all team files to which a user has access. “You can then insert the most relevant frames directly into your working file,” Figma says.

“A new toolbar, rounded corners, and 200 new icons” are also part of the design refresh, per The Verge, describing workflow examples showcased by Figma Chief Product Officer Yuhki Yamashita showed off at a press briefing for UI3.

“Figma could create an app design for a new restaurant,” The Verge writes, noting that “a few seconds” after Yamashita typed his prompt into a textbox, “Figma mocked up an app with menu listings, a tab bar, and even buttons for delivery partners like Uber Eats and DoorDash. From the resulting generic-looking template Yamashita could start customizing right away.

“While in beta, Figma AI will be free to use, though that will change when it becomes generally available,” VentureBeat writes, noting that “in addition, Figma’s AI search features will be available for subscribers of the platform’s Pro, Organization and Enterprise tiers,” while the other new features are “available to all plans” — with the caveat that “team administrators must enable access before anyone can use Figma AI.”

Related:
Inside the Redesigned Figma, Where Your Work Takes Center Stage, Figma, 6/26/24