For my first project on my bootcamp, I struggle with my design process, I only knew how to do the wireframe through Balsamiq and when the time came to create the mockups it was a total nightmare. I didn't know a better tool to test and showcase my design ideas at that time, so I could only deepen my design concept while coding and testing at the same time, which made me lose a lot of time and energy.

Especially for beginners, we tend to overthink and not use the resources available to us. We do not need to reinvent the wheel to create our portfolio, there are a lot of wheels in different shapes and colours waiting to be discovered out there. There's an easy and a hard way to do things in life, today let's talk about an easier way: Figma.

What is Figma?

Figma is a design tool that help's you create websites, mobile apps, prototypes, logos and much more. Who's to say how you should use a powerful tool like that? But Figma stands as the ultimate platform for sparking your design imagination and sketching out amazing creations.

It might seem counterintuitive to invest time in mastering a whole program to plan your projects, especially if you don't like the design very much, however, UX/UI design is the soul of any successful project. Depending on the tech direction you want to go you may not be responsible mainly for the design, but software development isn't a solo act, it's a symphony of diverse expertise. The more you embrace a multidisciplinary approach, the more your value grows, both as a professional and in the realm of product creation.

Web-Based

Figma's major distinction is its browser-based functionality. This means you don’t need to install it locally or worry about buying expensive licenses or intrusive software updates. Figma works in a distance of a browser and a simple login to the website. Making the tool super user-friendly, accessible, and uncomplicated. It's flexible whereas you can engage with your projects on any computer without the need to restore purchases or manually get file copies. Collaboration is also easy, all you need to share your progress is nothing more than an access link to the project.

Free Plan

Believe it or not, it's free. Of course, this version is limited, but is good enough for any new developer looking to build a portfolio or a freelancer. They have paid plans, but their free gives you unlimited files, unlimited collaborators, three Figma and FigJam files, access to their library of multiple plugins, widgets, and templates and more. Getting all these awesome features for free is really what makes Figma totally worth it.

Real-Time Collaborative Environment

Working collaboratively is one of the most important skills that a developer can have, Figma has a remarkable collaboration functionality that multiple users can work simultaneously on a project in real-time. What it means is that the team can create, edit, collectively brainstorm and view who’s working on what, all together at the same time. How cool is that? This is my favourite feature, it just feels right!

I'm super picky about my design concepts. The first contact with the user is the design, that's where you can make the magic happen and take the users wherever you want them to. So I spend quite some time studying UX/UI design and how can I apply them, mastering these concepts is key for a successful product.

Figma allowed me to save a lot of time when building my portfolio projects, I would say it's a turbo boost for developers. I was able to easily create design concepts for my websites allowing me to deliver projects faster, more efficiently, and with high quality. I used to spend too much time constantly adapting throughout the development process, with Figma I can smoothly create a more cohesive and consistent structure concept I can build on.

The next time you create a project, try Figma and let it transforms your vision into pixels and code!

Last week I talked about the different between IDEs, Code-Editors and GitHub, check it out here!