Chapter 1: Exploring Figma and Transitioning from Other Tools

Whether you are taking your first steps in design or already have some experience in the field, the tool you choose plays a big role in your day-to-day workflow. Of course, you need to know all the functions to use it professionally for your own purposes, but it is equally important to understand what ideology your design tool has, what benefits it gives you personally, and whether it develops and grows with you professionally.

Figma is one of the most advanced design tools out there and is constantly updating and releasing new features and capabilities. As a result, it has become not only a tool but also an irreplaceable assistant for many designers. In this chapter, you will discover how Figma manages to consistently push the boundaries and maintain its reputation to be many designers' favorite tool.

Figma is open to everyone and very flexible in many ways. It offers a variety of plans, including a free one, which is perfect for beginners in design. Figma also has web and desktop applications, each of which has its own benefits. This chapter contains detailed information about all of these and will help you to make your own choices. Here, you will also learn how to switch to Figma from other tools, namely Sketch and Adobe XD. 

After that, we will look at how Figma presents you with the welcome screen, where you will explore all the buttons, toolbars, and areas, such as drafts, teams, Projects, and Community. It may seem overwhelming at first, but don't worry, we'll go over all the topics step by step. So, by the end of this chapter, you'll be ready to start putting Figma into practice!

In this chapter, we are going to cover the following main topics:

• Introducing Figma and its mission
• Difference between the desktop and web apps
• Transition to Figma from Sketch and Adobe XD
• Everything about the welcome screen