The current seat upgrade request process does not provide users or organization admins with enough information to make informed decisions or manage temporary seat requirements efficiently.
Three improvements would make the process more transparent and significantly improve license governance:
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Make the request explanation mandatory
Users requesting a paid seat upgrade should be required to explain why they need it. The request should not be submitted if this field is empty.
Ideally, the mandatory explanation would cover:
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The project, client, or internal initiative
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The functionality for which the seat is required
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The relevant team or responsible project lead
This would give admins the business context required to assess the request and reduce the need to contact users individually for clarification.
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Explain seat functionality and cost implications
The upgrade request interface should clearly explain what each available seat type enables before the user selects it.
For every seat type, Figma should display:
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A plain-language summary of the included functionality
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The main differences compared with the user’s current seat
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Whether the upgrade creates an additional charge
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The estimated cost and applicable billing period
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When the charge will take effect
Where pricing depends on an organization’s individual contract, Figma could display the organization-specific cost or allow admins to provide custom billing information.
Users often request upgrades without fully understanding the differences between Full, Dev, Collab, and View seats—or that their selection can create an immediate or future cost for the organization.
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Add a required date-range calendar
Users should be able to specify exactly when they need the requested seat by selecting a start and end date in a calendar.
The request should therefore include:
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Required seat start date
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Required seat end date
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An optional “ongoing requirement” selection where no end date can reasonably be provided
The selected timeframe should be visible to the approving admin. Before the end date, Figma could notify both the user and the admin and ask whether the paid seat is still required.
If no extension is requested or approved, organizations should have the option to automatically downgrade the user to their previous seat type at the end of the approved period.
Combining a mandatory business justification, transparent functionality and pricing information, and a defined usage period would help users select the appropriate seat while giving admins the information and controls needed to manage licenses and costs efficiently.