Multiplayer mode and emotional triggers
TL;DR
I’d love to hear thoughts from Figma users that are dealing with anxiety caused by the multiplayer feature - if there is anyone.
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I’ve been searching without success for discussions or articles about this topic, so I decided to make my first post to see if anyone feels the same.
While I see multiplayer mode as one of the most innovative features ever for design processes and collaboration (especially during pandemic remote work), it has also created several anxiety triggers for me due to excessive-always-on collaboration. Every time I see an avatar or a cursor popping out, my anxiety hits me badly.
I’ve been working with digital + web design for some years now, so naturally experimented with dozens of design software and tools and none of them caused me this type of feeling.
I wonder if the Figma team got any user feedback or data about this, but sometimes I have the feeling that it’s a burden because it empowers non-designers, especially managers and CEOs (that can fire you, you know what I mean…), to collaborate too much.
On several occasions I found myself being real-time pixel pushed/maneuvered during video calls. On others, I woke the next day to find my designs completely changed (blessed be version history). Also, people clicking and editing the same elements, at the same time as me, is disturbingly annoying and feels like a tug of war.
As a quick turnaround for this, I started making private copies to work and focus on my own, but everyone is aware of the feature, so they will ask you to keep it shared.
Does anyone feel this or am I alone? Certainly, it’s a personal struggle, but I think an option to turn off the multiplayer feature, not only the avatars/cursors, would solve this problem for the sake of my mental health.