Choosing between Figma and Figjam for your design needs
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is Figma?
- What is Fig Jam?
- Key Differences between Figma and Fig Jam
- Design Capabilities
- Prototyping Features
- Collaboration and Commenting
- Templates and Importing
- When to Use Figma
- High-Fidelity Designing
- Creating Interactive Prototypes
- Design Libraries and System Integration
- Presentations and Sharing Work
- When to Use Fig Jam
- Low-Fidelity Whiteboarding
- Ideation and Brainstorming
- Workshops and Design Sprints
- Synthesizing Research and Insights
- Functional Flow Mapping
- Team Retrospectives and Icebreakers
- Conclusion
Figma vs. Fig Jam: Choosing the Right Design Tool
Designers often find themselves grappling with the question of whether to use Figma or Fig Jam for their design projects. While both tools are owned by Figma and serve different purposes, it can be challenging to determine which tool is best suited for specific stages of the design process. In this article, we will Delve into the differences between Figma and Fig Jam and discuss when and why You should choose one over the other.
What is Figma?
Figma is a vector drawing tool that allows designers to Create custom vector shapes using the pen tool. It provides full control over design creation and manipulation, enabling designers to create high-definition visuals by manipulating points on a pixel GRID. Figma supports exporting designs in scalable vector graphic (SVG) format, making it ideal for web purposes. Additionally, Figma boasts built-in prototyping features, allowing designers to create end-to-end prototyping flows.
What is Fig Jam?
Fig Jam, on the other HAND, is a whiteboarding tool that is more focused on low-fidelity ideation and exploration. Unlike Figma, it does not support vector drawing or the creation of custom shapes using the pen tool. However, Fig Jam offers a range of shapes, text functionality, stickers, emojis, reactions, plugins, and widgets. It also provides templates to help users get started, and designs from Figma can be copied and pasted into Fig Jam, although they will be pasted as flattened images without the ability to see individual layers or vectors.
Key Differences between Figma and Fig Jam
Design Capabilities
Figma shines in high-fidelity design work, allowing designers to create screens of varying fidelity, from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity final mocks. With robust drawing and vector drawing capabilities, designers have complete control over the design's visual and functional aspects. In contrast, Fig Jam is more suitable for low-fidelity whiteboarding, perfect for ideation and exploration. It provides a limited set of shapes and text functionality but compensates with stickers, emojis, reactions, and a few plugins and widgets.
Prototyping Features
Figma comes out on top when it comes to prototyping. Its built-in prototyping features allow designers to turn their designs into interactive prototypes, complete with interactions, transitions, scrollable views, and fixed content. This makes Figma an excellent choice for testing designs with potential users. Fig Jam, however, lacks such advanced prototyping capabilities and is better suited for low-fidelity functional flows that focus on the logic and functionality of a feature rather than its visual execution.
Collaboration and Commenting
Both Figma and Fig Jam offer commenting and collaboration features that facilitate real-time collaboration among team members. As browser-Based tools, they enable live collaboration and commenting. However, Fig Jam's simplicity and accessibility make it more inclusive for non-designers during collaboration Sessions, such as retrospectives or team exercises. With built-in post-it notes and timers, Fig Jam provides a seamless experience for gathering and voting on ideas and conducting workshops.
Templates and Importing
Figma provides various frame sizes, including a 16x9 option similar to Google Slides or Keynote presentations. This makes it a versatile tool for creating presentations and sharing work-in-progress designs. With import and export capabilities, Figma also supports design libraries, making it easier to maintain consistency within a Design System. Fig Jam, on the other hand, offers a range of templates for different purposes and supports importing designs from Figma. However, pasted designs in Fig Jam are flattened images, lacking the layers and vectors present in the original design.
When to Use Figma
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High-Fidelity Designing:
When creating screens of any fidelity, from wireframes to final designs, Figma's robust drawing tools and vector capabilities allow for precise control over the visual aspects of the design.
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Creating Interactive Prototypes:
If you need to turn your designs into interactive prototypes with advanced transitions and interactions, Figma's prototyping features make it the ideal choice. This is especially useful for user testing and gathering feedback.
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Design Libraries and System Integration:
Figma supports design libraries, enabling easy access to assets, components, and variants. Integration with a design system ensures consistency throughout designs, making it ideal for larger design teams or organizations.
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Presentations and Sharing Work:
For creating presentations or sharing work-in-progress designs, Figma's pre-made frame sizes and play button feature provide a seamless experience. It allows designers to present their work effectively and gather feedback from stakeholders.
When to Use Fig Jam
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Low-Fidelity Whiteboarding:
During the ideation and exploration phase of a project, when low-fidelity visuals are preferred, Fig Jam's simplicity and limited feature set make it an excellent tool for brainstorming and capturing initial ideas.
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Ideation and Brainstorming:
Fig Jam's built-in post-it notes, stickers, and timer features make it ideal for workshops and design sprints. It facilitates idea generation, clustering, voting, and open collaboration, making it easier to align the team's thinking.
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Workshops and Design Sprints:
Fig Jam's low fidelity and accessibility make it perfect for facilitating workshops and design sprints. The infinite canvas allows for free-flowing exploration of ideas and concepts, promoting creativity and collaboration.
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Synthesizing Research and Insights:
Fig Jam is a useful tool for synthesizing research findings and insights. By clustering quotes and insights with post-it notes, designers can easily identify themes and patterns, helping inform the design direction.
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Functional Flow Mapping:
When working on functional flow maps, where the focus is on logic and decision trees rather than intricate visuals, Fig Jam's built-in shapes and flows offer a more streamlined experience compared to Figma.
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Team Retrospectives and Icebreakers:
Fig Jam's inclusive and accessible nature makes it the ideal choice for team retrospectives and icebreakers. Its built-in retrospective template, combined with functionalities like timers and stickers, promotes engagement and collaboration among team members.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Figma and Fig Jam are powerful tools owned by Figma but cater to different purposes within the design process. Figma excels in high-fidelity design work, creating interactive prototypes, sharing work, and integration into design systems. On the other hand, Fig Jam is ideal for low-fidelity whiteboarding, workshops, brainstorming, research synthesis, functional flow mapping, retrospectives, and team exercises. By understanding the key differences and strengths of each tool, designers can leverage their functionalities accordingly to enhance their design process and collaboration efforts.
Highlights
- Figma is a vector drawing tool for high-fidelity design work and creating interactive prototypes.
- Fig Jam is a whiteboarding tool for low-fidelity ideation, workshops, and brainstorming.
- Figma supports design libraries, enabling integration into design systems for consistent designs.
- Fig Jam offers post-it notes, stickers, emojis, and reactions for collaborative ideation sessions.
- Figma is suitable for presentations and sharing work-in-progress designs.
- Fig Jam facilitates team retrospectives, icebreakers, and social team exercises outside the design process.
FAQ
Q: Can I use Figma for low-fidelity whiteboarding?
A: While Figma does have some low-fidelity capabilities, Fig Jam's simplicity and focused features make it a better choice for whiteboarding and ideation.
Q: Can I create interactive prototypes in Fig Jam?
A: No, Fig Jam does not offer advanced prototyping features like Figma. It is better suited for functional flow mapping and low-fidelity exploration.
Q: Can I import designs from Figma to Fig Jam?
A: Yes, designs from Figma can be copied and pasted into Fig Jam. However, they will be pasted as flattened images without retaining individual layers or vectors.
Q: Can non-designers participate in Fig Jam collaboration sessions?
A: Yes, Fig Jam's accessibility and inclusive features, such as post-it notes and stickers, make it suitable for collaboration with non-designers during workshops and team exercises.
Q: Which tool is better for presentations?
A: Figma is better for creating presentations due to its predefined frame sizes and play button feature, allowing designers to present work effectively and gather feedback.