There is a lot of speculation around Figma and Adobe XD, with a debate on which one is the leading tool predominantly used in the UX industry. Due to unclear signals stemming from the rapidly expanding field and the availability of various tools, I am one of those students who began exploring the User Experience subject by studying and developing skills using Adobe XD. Currently, I am trying to familiarize myself with and get used to Figma. Oh boy, this has given me some anxiety, mainly because I am dealing with two factors: generating design ideas and using a new tool. I must admit that this has prevented me from jumping straight into designing prototypes. I have spent a couple of hours on YouTube trying to gain a better understanding of what this tool has to offer. I must admit that Figma is a very similar tool, and I feel much more comfortable starting the design process than I did at the beginning of the year (I am writing this on the 16th of Jan 2024).

What I would like to share here with you is the usefulness and power of YouTube. I have benefited from watching and learning from numerous UX designers online, ranging from complex 3-4 hour courses to short 5-minute clips explaining simple yet effective design tricks. I can name a few of them here: Dan Scott from BYOL, Ran Segall from Flux Academy, or Daniel White from foreverdansky. Before becoming part of the NUA student group, I would watch their online courses and try to learn skills that I would be using in the future. All of this has significantly influenced my perception of good design in the present day.

Returning to the Figma subject, I should really explain the focus of this post. During the first week, we were asked to give ourselves advice on post-it notes and stick them on the studio wall. One of them said, “Figma is your friend.” The secret author of the note inspired me to befriend Figma, as, at the end of the day, it is all about learning, exploring, and expanding my skill set. I am continuing to learn more about this tool throughout the prototyping experience for websites and designing applications.