Design tools, the ultimate guide.
Don’t learn Figma, Framer, Webflow, Sketch… when starting out in Web or Product Design.
Learn design. Learn UX design. Learn Visual design. Learn UI and motion design. Learn copywriting.
The above tools are tools. They won’t bring you anywhere if you lack the basics
This is a tweet from Cedric_design. And I wish every single designer would see it. For a moment, I thought I was the only person that noticed how obsessed designers are with Figma. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with learning Figma and other tools and being good at it, but when it gets to the point where we are deviating from the whole point of Design, it becomes a problem.
Artiom Dashinsky called it the Figmaism problem.
An obsession with tooling at the expense of other (and often more important) skills.
It's the ultimate truth. And I agree with him. I understand if you're a senior or lead designer, you have more experience than I do I won't question your judgment. The problem is with the newbies just starting their Design career and due to one reason or another, probably due to how intense the industry is, feel pressured to learn every tool out there just so they can land themselves a job, recognition, and any other thing that makes them do that.
Does it make any sense?
No, it doesn't and I will tell you why. The moment I finished the UX professional course, I thought I was done with UX (joker). I thought there was nothing more to learn. I could focus on learning Figma and mastering it. I took the Web Flow 101 course and learned the basics of HTML and CSS, and with the YouTube videos I was constantly watching, everything became too much. I still didn't stop because I kept seeing job descriptions with requirements like knowing HTML and CSS, strong knowledge of Webflow and Framer, perfect in WordPress and Adobe XD, and so on, all for an entry-level Designer (It is appalling, I know ) and I thought if I pushed harder, I will stand a chance. Did it work No! it got worse.
I stopped doing research, no usability testing, and everything that makes up UX. I was more concerned about how I could master components and web flow, make cool animations, and be perfect in Figma. I thought it was cool, don't get me wrong, I don't regret learning all this but it started affecting me when I got a GIG, and I had to go back to the Google UX professional course and relearn all the previous things I learned just so I can write the case study for the project that was when I realized somehow I am obsessed with figma and it needs to stop. The point I'm trying to make is;
Forget about these tools!!
No scratch that, don't forget about these tools. They are needed if you want to succeed in your career. Instead, learn to balance and take it one step at a time, don't rush the process. Doing one at the expense of the other will slow down your learning process and general growth. Learn how to do proper research, learn to conduct usability studies, learn how to solve problems, learn competitive analysis, learn copywriting, learn how to use interfaces to solve problems, and learn KPIs. These are what Design really is. Like Cedric said, these tools are just tools, a company will not hesitate to let you go if you don't know how to improve their product and bring growth to the company which is all that matters.
When working on projects, be it personal or work, writing case studies will help you go through the design process. It will be easier for you to retain what you have learned than focusing on these tools.
This article is mostly me ranting after designing an app that stressed me. I might come back to it with more information. In the meantime, if you want to learn more then read this and this they are the best article I have seen on Figmaism and are very helpful. Good luck.
