Yuhki Yamashita’s talk from WebSummit 2022. I shared slides and an article based on this talk last November. In it, Yuhki explores how design is changing and how we need to change with it. He also offers practical advice on navigating our new always-in-progress world and Figma’s approach to developing collaboration features designed with that in mind.

The Figma Store is now available in the EU, and to celebrate the occasion they’ve dropped a new swag collection. My favorite additions are the new washi tape, Dress Code hat, and Toolkit mug!

“Having scaled the APAC region for 3 US companies, with a big emphasis on building culture as a foundation for success, Scott will speak of his learnings and lead a discussion for: Recruiting, Enabling, and Creating Culture.”

“Jesus [Requena] now leads Marketing and Growth at Hex, the data platform for data scientists. Before that he built and led the Growth Marketing team at Figma, the PLG darling that Adobe intends to acquire for a whopping $20 billion, which was the focus for much of this conversation. […] Keep reading to learn from Jesus about the role of growth marketing in a PLG business, how Figma does product-led sales, why you should consider product-qualified accounts (PQAs) one of your top KPIs, and how emerging tools like Endgame help accelerate your time-to-market.”

Bloomberg reports (see the Google cache version without the paywall) that the United States Department of Justice is preparing an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Adobe’s $20 billion acquisition of Figma. A case is expected to be filed as soon as next month. ​“The antitrust division is concerned the deal — one of the largest takeovers of a private software maker — would reduce options for design software used by creative professionals.”

Video and transcript of a fireside chat with Dylan Field on Figma’s origins, AI, and education.

Examples of fun prompts and highlights from the Figma design team warmups in FigJam: ​“Overall, we ask a question, put a generous amount of time on the clock with some tunes, and let folks explore and have fun in FigJam. You don’t need to over-engineer an icebreaker for it to feel meaningful! And letting the room react and respond really lightens the exercise.”

If you ever wonder what Designer Advocates do at Figma, Clara Ujiie just gave a mini-presentation to Figma interns answering this question. While community engagement is the most visible part of advocates’ jobs, they also spend a lot of time on customer education and learning how customers and the community use Figma.

Sean Whitney, Craft Ventures investor and early Figma team member, sat down with Toni Gemayel, Figma’s first growth marketer, to talk about how he scaled growth marketing at Figma. While at Figma, Toni launched their Design Systems website, built an experimental Variable Fonts plugin before the native support was shipped, and was heavily involved with the design community.

Robert Bye reflects on his first full year at the new Figma Native apps team and how much their desktop, iPad, and phone apps have changed in 2022

Lenny Rachitsky talks to Yuhki Yamashita, CPO (Chief Product Officer) at Figma. ​“In today’s episode, we talk about operationalizing quality, the case against OKRs, and how Figma isn’t just known for product-led growth, but also for building a community of empowered users. Yuhki also shares why he thinks storytelling is key to being a great product manager, owning the ​“why,” and the potential impact of Adobe’s acquisition of Figma.”

Founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian shared his notes from a missed investment opportunity in Figma back in 2016. Hard to believe that it was still in private beta and they didn’t even charge for it only 6 years ago!

Forbes speaks with Danny Rimer from Index Ventures about investing in Figma, working with Dylan Field, the fund’s artisan approach, and how his passion for art and creators has helped him connect with entrepreneurs.

Dylan Field shares his thoughts on ​“Neopets, early MySpace collabs with Eric Lu, the importance of asking ​‘why now’ when building new products, the future of web development and the future”.

In Issue 89, I shared slides for Yuhki Yamashita’s talk ​“Confessions of modern design” on how design is changing, and how we need to change with it. This article summarizes his advice on navigating our new always-in-progress world and Figma’s approach to developing collaboration features designed with that in mind.

“Component properties launched at Config earlier this year, but was over a year in the making. Essentially React properties for Figma components, ​“props” removes the guesswork out of your design system and better aligns design components with code. Join the tech leads of the project for a behind the scenes look into how the feature came together, the power it unlocks for your design system, and a look into some of the exciting updates we’ve made post launch.”

Lenny Rachitsky kicked off a new series on building products by interviewing Figma’s CPO Yuhki Yamashita. Learn about their planning process, how they use OKRs, their design review meetings process, org structure, lessons learned, and more in this Twitter thread, or in an excerpt from his subscriber-only newsletter.

Figma’s accessibility team shares what they’ve learned from the community and their vision for what’s ahead.

Love when folks share some of the Maker Week projects! Here is a beautiful finished mural.

A beautiful deep dive into the making of a new background music feature in FigJam.