FigTal: a case for how Figma can change the freelance market forever
Context
Figma is a cloud-based design and prototyping tool that recently disrupted the design industry and became a new standard in real-time collaboration for product development teams.
The company was founded in 2012 to “make design accessible to all.” It continues to live up to it ten years later.
No surprise that Adobe decided to acquire Figma for a whopping $20 billion in cash and stock. The deal aims to expand Adobe’s collaboration-focused offerings to capture additional market share in the remote/hybrid work era.
Problem
As with any other company, Figma may eventually reach a point where most potential users have already adopted its core product, and there are few new users left to attract.
To continue growing its revenue Figma will have a few options to consider: increasing prices, cutting down costs, diversifying revenue streams, or monetizing data.
Opportunity
Here at product.inc, we imagined what if Figma chose to embark on the journey of diversifying revenue streams (as we have seen it’s already done once with FigJam) and expand its core business to enter the freelance platform market.
Meet FigTal, a talent marketplace deeply integrated with Figma and its community.
With approximately 4 million users onboard, Figma can enable a thriving gig economy within its ecosystem by introducing a few new features.
Let’s examine a few user stories detailing how the system might work.
Talent
John is an accomplished product designer who enjoys tackling complex challenges. He is currently employed at a SaaS company during the day, and in his free time, he takes on freelance work to gain new experiences and earn additional income.
John uses Figma every day as his primary design tool. One day he sees a section in the app called FigTal and decides to explore it. He adds important details to his profile, selects a few projects to showcase his work, and sets his immediate availability.
Client
Jane is a savvy marketing professional who creates campaigns that truly connect with the audience. Her skills are in high demand — her company just landed a new client eager to launch a new product line, and they are counting on Jane to create a set of landing pages to help drive sales.
Jane utilizes FigJam for visual collaboration with her team and clients. However, her team is currently understaffed and lacks the necessary design resources to produce development-ready design assets. Jane notices a section called FigTal and decides to explore it. She quickly creates a job post and searches for a designer within her time zone.
Jane glances over a couple of designer profiles and gets in touch with a product designer named John.
They talk over the project details using the Audio Chat feature, align around the scope of work and engagement terms, and start a collaborative project.
This way, the entire cycle of search, contracting, project work, and deal closure can be kept within one neat ecosystem, and no one would ever need to leave Figma.
In conclusion
Do you think Figma should make this move? Let us know in the comment section below, and if you need assistance bringing your product ideas to life — don’t hesitate to contact us.
Originally published at https://product.inc.
