For many teams, remote collaboration is no longer new. We have mastered the basics of muting and unmuting, and learned how to stay productive in unlikely places. But for all our progress, connecting with teammates and riffing on ideas doesn’t always feel as inspiring as it once was. So a few months ago, our product and design teams got together to brainstorm: how we can bring some of the magic from a really great jam session back into our digital work lives?
Now, the ideas they dreamed up are ready for prime time. This month, we’ve released a collection of new features to both Figma and FigJam that enable you to toss around ideas, get real-time reactions from teammates, and stay in the flow across products.
Say it all in a snap with audio
Running an idea by a teammate takes more than a quick swivel of your chair these days. To make it easier and faster to chat, we’ve added audio to both Figma and FigJam. In a click, you can share a thought, pose a question, and quickly get on the same page with the people in your file. Audio can be used for spontaneous collaboration and working sessions, or you can use it to present your work to other collaborators.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll also be rolling out a beta of live captions for the audio experience on the Figma desktop app. Check out our recent blog post to learn more about audio, and keep an eye out for live captions.
Express yourself with cursor chat and high-fives
It can be tough to read the “room” over video. Without the subtle nods of agreement or reactions from your teammates, speaking up in meetings can be daunting.
To give you and your teammates a new, lightweight way to express yourselves, we’ve recently released cursor chat and high-fives. With cursor chat, you can quickly add words of encouragement or ask a question that’s on your mind without interrupting the speaker.
And with high-fives, you can celebrate a great jam session or end a team meeting on a high note.
To learn more about how the Figma product design team created the high-five feature, check out this blog post.
Designed for how you work
We are always shipping usability improvements based on your feedback to make creating in Figma and FigJam even more seamless. Here are a few recent updates:
Import/export spreadsheet data
Built for those who run user research, you can now turn spreadsheet cells into sticky notes with a simple copy and paste. Or export a selection of sticky notes as a CSV file.
Export diagrams from FigJam
To bring relevant diagrams and visuals from FigJam into a presentation, email, or another form of communication, you can now export a selection of objects or the entire FigJam file as a PNG, PDF, or JPG.
Adjust line spacing
To change the spacing in bulleted and numbered lists, navigate to the type details panel.
Choose multiple text sizes in FigJam
To create a mix of different text sizes in the same text box, sticky note, or shape in FigJam, select either the entire line or portion of text you want to resize and make adjustments in the dropdown menu.
Paste here
To help you paste more precisely, simply select “paste here” from the right-click menu.
Paste to replace
To quickly swap out assets, hold down the Shift key and ⌘ + V or Ctrl + V. Doing so will replace a selected object with something you’ve copied to your clipboard.
Multi-paste
To paste the same thing—in the same position—across multiple frames, simply select each of the destination frames or groups while holding down the Shift key and ⌘ + V or Ctrl + V.
For even more detailed improvements, make sure to check out the release notes. And if you have any other feature requests, we’d love to hear them! Feel free to share with us on Twitter or in the Figma Support Forum.
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