In the ever-evolving landscape of design technology, Figma has once again pushed the boundaries with its latest AI-powered feature, Make Designs. Announced at Config 2024, this innovative tool promises to revolutionize the way designers craft their initial UI drafts. However, the journey has not been without its hiccups, as Figma recently discovered an issue that has temporarily put the brakes on this promising feature.
Make Designs, a brainchild of Figma's relentless pursuit of design excellence, was conceived to streamline the initial stages of UI design. By leveraging modern AI models, this feature aims to generate a first draft of a UI design based on established design systems and a simple user prompt. The goal is to provide designers with a consistent set of patterns that can be easily customized and styled using the tools they already cherish.
The magic behind Make Designs lies in its three-part system: a model, some context, and a prompt. Figma's approach involves using off-the-shelf models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Amazon’s Titan model, which are widely available and used by many. These models, combined with two extensive design systems—one for mobile and one for desktop—comprising hundreds of components, form the backbone of Make Designs.
The process is straightforward yet sophisticated. Metadata from these meticulously crafted components and examples are fed into the model's context window, along with the user's design goals. The model then assembles a subset of these components, drawing inspiration from the examples, into fully parameterized designs. Amazon Titan, a diffusion model, then creates the necessary images for the design. Essentially, AI aids in identifying, arranging, filling out, and theming small composable templates from a design system, providing a robust starting point for designers.
However, the rollout of Make Designs hit a snag shortly after its limited beta launch. An issue with the underlying design system led to generated mocks that bore an uncanny resemblance to existing apps. This was first brought to light when a designer at Config 2024 pointed out that a weather app design generated by Make Designs was strikingly similar to Apple’s first-party app. This revelation prompted Figma to halt the feature and initiate a thorough investigation.
Upon identifying that the problem stemmed from the underlying design systems, Figma swiftly removed the problematic assets and disabled the feature. The team is now focused on refining their QA process to prevent similar issues in the future. This incident underscores the importance of rigorous vetting, especially when integrating new components and example screens into a system as complex as Make Designs.
Despite this setback, Figma remains optimistic about the future of Make Designs. The original name for the feature, "First Draft," encapsulates its intended purpose—a starting point for designers. By connecting Make Designs to a company's own design system, Figma envisions a future where designers spend less time on the tedious tasks of finding, assembling, and configuring components, and more time on solving creative problems. AI can offer a robust starting point, but the true craft of design lies in the hands of the designers who refine and elevate these initial drafts into meaningful experiences.
The temporary rollback of Make Designs is a testament to Figma's commitment to quality and user satisfaction. The company is dedicated to getting this right and views user feedback as crucial to building the right tools. As Figma continues to refine Make Designs, the design community eagerly anticipates its return, hopeful that it will indeed uplevel their work and streamline the design process.
In the broader context of AI in design, Figma's journey with Make Designs highlights both the potential and the challenges of integrating advanced technologies into creative workflows. AI has the power to augment human creativity, providing tools that can enhance productivity and innovation. However, it also requires careful oversight to ensure that the outputs are original and not derivative of existing works.
As Figma works through these challenges, the design community can look forward to a future where AI-driven tools like Make Designs become indispensable allies in the creative process. The promise of AI in design is not just about automating tasks but about empowering designers to focus on what they do best—creating beautiful, functional, and meaningful user experiences.
Figma's Make Designs is a bold step towards the future of design technology. While the road has been bumpy, the potential benefits far outweigh the temporary setbacks. As Figma continues to innovate and refine its tools, the design community stands to gain immensely from these advancements. The journey of Make Designs is a reminder that even the most cutting-edge technologies require careful nurturing and continuous improvement. With Figma's commitment to excellence and user-centric approach, the future of design looks brighter than ever.