How Figma helped UpHill during the COVID-19 pandemic

Adjusting to full remote work can be a challenge, even for those who are used to doing it occasionally.

The COVID-19 pandemic made us rethink and readjust our work habits, bringing up the importance of maintaining good communication.

As a designer, how can I communicate properly with product mangers and developers? How can we continue to work as a team and keep collaborative work?

The solution: using collaborative digital design tools

When we start using Figma, nothing would make us predict that after two weeks the whole team would be at home working fully remote.

Figma is a very powerful collaboration tool, not only in terms of visual design, but also in terms of keep your work organized, updated and transparent for your team. With Figma, anyone can access on going projects in real time, making it easier to leave a meaningful contribution.

As a designer, it’s easy to feel sometimes lost in the process. Imagine if you’re closed at home with no one to discuss anything. Without knowing when and how it will end. Oh, the panic! Yes, you can call your team members. Yes, you can send them links to your project and wait for their feedback and opinion. But is this the most effective way to communicate?

In some way, Figma helped us push a sense of isolation.

And why? Because of Figma’s most powerful feature: real time collaboration.

Wile working remotely, it’s normal to feel that people are less engage with your work. So, how can you keep work going forward without losing enthusiasm?

By sharing your work. By democratizing the design process. By encouraging team collaboration more than ever.

This works for both parties. For designers, it give us motivation, we want to show progress and work done. For the team, it gives them a sense of meaningful contribution — not only they can see work earlier, but also act as an active part of the solution. They don’t need to revisit a link nor ask if you already updated your design. Everyone is on the same page.

Using Figma helped us deliver more consistent experiences, maintaining a clear communication, and keep the team motivated. The design process is more transparent, and this helps to engage the team faster and efficiently, while promoting a co-design approach.

Stay safe, be kind and wash your hands 🤟