Disable 'observe' mode

We seriously need the privacy mode. I’m having to go back and forth multiple files and now that the client has commented on the “production” file, Resolving those comments are just a major pain at this point. The obstruction is really a privacy issue.
Does everyone at Figma have someone over their shoulder looking at their work every second? Are they okay with this?

This is literally getting on my nerve!

Hi all,
Thank you for your feedback @Rebecca21 !
You are right @matteogonzalez, others in the community have requested something similar here: Disable 'observe' mode - #24 by benka . I merged your topic with this one, so we can have all the feedback in one place. 🙂

Often times I’m on projects where I want to show my WIP with my coworkers or stakeholders but I don’t want them to jump into my work constantly popping in and checking now that they have a link to my file. There’s also many cases where I need them to review and comment but I don’t want their comments to flood my actual working file because it creates a messy habit of changing my original design instead of allowing me to archive it and make updates to a copy of the original. My current solution is to either make a new page as the review page or duplicate working file and create a share out version of the file. There are times when collaboration is key in a Figma file and then there are times when you need to keep your working files clean of outside tampering. I’m not sure if creating a review mode or creating a more robust permissions settings would be the solution.

I also agree it is incredibly annoying to as a designer to have PMs, clients, ENG following you while you are in the midst of working.

As a workaround to this issue, you can create a new branch in your Figma file. Unless you share the link to the branch, you can work in privacy then merge your changes back to the main file when you are ready.

I am a Sketch user trialing Figma and considering it for use in our company. The inability to disable the collaboration feature makes Figma a no for us at this time. The collaboration feature is great for presenting or when soliciting feedback, but it hampers designers during ideation and feedback stages as the designer needs to deal with unsolicited feedback on ideas that may or may not make it in to the final draft.

This is so important. Can you please start hiding users from others when working on designs? I don’t want my teammates or boss hovering over my designs while I work on them.
I know many designers are suffering from that. Please implement this ASAP.

I would like to work in private please.

By default I think the Figma team should REALLY pay attention to this. It’s so irritating to see a PM looking over your shoulder and making suggestions as you design. I think by default no one should be able to follow you on the file. That should be enabled in review sessions similar to the TIMER in FigJam.

It contributes to micromanaging and it violates designers pri

I have to actively copy and paste the boards in my drafts so I know no one is watching it’s stupid.

Another example in case it helps:

• Someone sends me a file to look over & provide feedback
• I am looking over the file
• They are WATCHING me look over the file, following my cursor around and chatting, “Hey if you have questions let me know! Here’s X, here’s Y, here’s Z” - really annoying and unhelpful because I’m often need to focus and digest first before starting a conversation
• I don’t own the file so I can’t turn it into a draft

I definitely agree with others that this goes under the bucket of not having control over my own privacy as a user.

Blocking Figma on Little Snitch does the trick.