UI3 Feedback

Dear Figma…

Please revert. It’s really unintuitive.

Simple functions are hidden under menu’s. Previously i did not need to search for anything at all…

Done. Please, if anyone else thinks being able to discover components in libraries by browsing (instead of only being able to search for them) is important to your workflow, please give the topic a vote.

im still struggling to parse out constraints and autolayout quickly. Yall tucked away important things like hug/filled/left+right/etc. Would love it you brought these things again to the surface more clearly.

With each of these big reveal “pull a rabbit out of a hat” Figma updates, it would be great if Figma could at least support their design direction and innovations with some robust user testing from their community of designers. Figma has proven time and again, that they put so much thought into how their product is accessed and used by different audience groups (i.e. educators)…it just seems obvious that Figma’s product team thought a little too much (by themselves) on this one before letting it off the leash into the design wild.

For future releases and there will be future version releases, Figma should consider several rounds of user testing from within the community…and from outside for new Figma users. Then they should show us why they arrived at a particular destination. There should be some form of advance notice and call to testing shown to the Figma community via their blog. This is pretty basic design 101 stuff and Figma clearly dropped the ball here.

Firstly, I appreciate your continuous efforts to evolve and enhance the platform. However, I’ve encountered a few issues with the recent UI changes that are affecting my workflow and overall experience.

1. Workflow Efficiency: The new layout has made previously seamless actions more cumbersome. Essential tools that were once easily accessible now seem buried, requiring more clicks to reach. This increase in friction slows down tasks that used to feel natural and intuitive, reducing overall productivity.

2. Visual Clarity: While I understand the intent behind modernizing the interface, the new design elements feel visually overwhelming. The added complexity creates unnecessary distractions and makes the workspace feel cluttered. Figma’s previous UI had a balance of simplicity and efficiency that I found really effective for focusing on the design itself without feeling overwhelmed by the tools.

3. Tool Placement & Discoverability: The relocation of certain core features, like [insert specific example], has disrupted the fluidity of my workflow. This change adds cognitive load as I now need to hunt for familiar tools in unfamiliar locations. The previous layout was more intuitive, allowing for smoother navigation, and the new one feels like a step backward in this regard.

4. Customization & Flexibility: If these changes are aimed at broadening functionality, offering more flexibility for users to customize their tool placement could help. Letting users adjust the UI according to their preferences might strike a better balance between new features and usability.

Overall, the previous UI design was cleaner, quicker to navigate, and provided a more streamlined user experience. I hope these concerns can be addressed or considered in future iterations, as Figma has always stood out for its ease of use and thoughtful design.

Agree… I really tried to use the new UI but I really can’t. A lot of bad choices.
There is awesome features that’s not exist anymore like select multiple element and make it a multiple variants component. The way to find components/plugins is awful.

I’m still getting to grips with the new UI, but the most glaring barrier to my adoption is that the UI text and icons are far too small. My eyesight is not as sharp as it used to be, so it would be extremely helpful if the UI elements were enlarged and an option to adjust the size at the user level was provided.

I use the Mac app (so that I can hide/show Figma independently of the web browser), and I work on a 27" Mac Studio monitor. Clearly, the UI was not tested with these variables in mind, as I can barely read the interface (see attached).

Please fix it. In the meantime, I’ll return to the old UI, which is still on the small side for my liking, but at least I know where everything is.

Noticed an issue recently…

• Borders and dividers are all the same/similar color
• All of the different surfaces in both the left and right panels have the same exact same bg color.

As a result of the above, there is very little (if any) visual hierarchy within the UI itself to provide any visual affordance.

Left Panel:

Suggestions

Thicker draggable dividers

One easy way to remedy part of the problem is to make draggable dividers thicker than all other borders/lines. This has multiple benefits:

1. Making them thicker provides a better visual affordance that they can be dragged, eliminating confusion with nearby borders that aren’t resizable.
2. Making them thicker also makes it so much easier to interact with. Small lines are horrible for accessibility if you don’t have 1000% cursor precision at all times.

I completely agree with everything everyone has said. The new UI makes nearly every type of action harder and more cumbersome. The reorganized panels are so much less intuitive, and many actions require more clicks to complete them. That is like basic UX 101 - you try to eliminate steps and make tasks easier, not harder!

But the worst offender of all for me is the goddamn bottom positioned toolbar. Why? Whyyyyyyyyyyyy would you do that? It’s honestly shocking how badly they got it wrong.

I’ve always respected them for their ability to combine simplicity with efficiency, I’m not a designer. But as a developer I have to use it from time to time, but now it’s a complete bummer.

Everything you need is hidden, and what is garbage is constantly in front of you.