The design and development landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) innovations that promise to streamline workflows and democratize creativity. On May 7, 2025, Figma, a leading design software company, launched Figma Make, a premium AI-powered feature that introduces “vibe-coding” to its platform. This tool, as detailed in a CNBC article, enables users to transform ideas or existing designs into functional code, marking a significant step in bridging the gap between design and development. This 1000-word blog post explores Figma Make’s features, its implications for designers and developers, and its place in the broader AI-driven design ecosystem, while also reflecting on potential challenges and opportunities.
What is Figma Make and ‘Vibe-Coding’?
Figma Make is a prompt-to-code tool that leverages AI to generate working code for websites and applications based on user inputs. The concept of “vibe-coding,” as Figma describes it, involves translating a short written description or an existing design file into source code, automating a process that traditionally requires significant coding expertise. Unlike many competitors in the vibe-coding space, such as Cursor and Windsurf, Figma Make is a premium feature with no free tier, available only to users with full seats starting at $16 per person per month when purchased annually.
Powered by Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet AI model, Figma Make offers two primary modes of operation. Users can either describe their idea in natural language—for example, “Create a note-taking app with a minimalist design”—or upload an existing Figma design file, which the AI then converts into functional code. This dual approach caters to both ideation and execution, allowing users to start from scratch or build on pre-existing work. Early adopters have used Figma Make to create diverse applications, including video games, note-taking apps, and personalized calendars, showcasing its versatility.
A standout feature of Figma Make is its ability to adhere to a company’s existing design systems. For premium subscribers, often part of organizations with stored design assets like font sizes and color combinations, Figma Make can generate code that aligns with these standards. This ensures consistency across projects, a critical factor for businesses aiming to maintain brand integrity. Additionally, the tool offers a chat interface for iterative adjustments, allowing users to refine outputs by prompting changes like “adjust the font to bold.” For simpler tweaks, drop-down menus enable quick edits without reconsulting the AI, enhancing efficiency.
Figma Sites: A Companion Tool for Web Development
Alongside Figma Make, Figma announced the beta testing of Figma Sites, another premium feature that converts designs into fully functional websites. While Figma Make focuses on prototyping and app development, Figma Sites is tailored for web publishing, offering a seamless transition from design to production. Users can leverage templates, add animations, and ensure responsiveness across devices, all within the Figma ecosystem. This tool complements Figma Make by providing a direct path to launch, reducing the need for external platforms like WordPress or Wix.
The Broader Context: AI in Design and Development
Figma’s foray into vibe-coding comes at a time when AI is transforming the creative industry. Tech giants like Google and Microsoft have introduced similar tools, such as Gemini Code Assist and GitHub Copilot, while OpenAI has explored the space through acquisition talks with startups like Windsurf and Cursor. Figma’s decision to integrate AI directly into its platform aligns with a broader trend of embedding intelligent automation into design workflows, reducing barriers between ideation and implementation.
However, Figma Make’s premium-only model sets it apart from competitors, many of whom offer free tiers for light use. This pricing strategy reflects Figma’s target audience—professional teams and enterprises that rely on its collaborative features and design systems. By focusing on full-seat subscribers, Figma ensures that its AI tools are tailored to users who need advanced functionality, but this approach may limit accessibility for individual freelancers or small teams.
Implications for Designers and Developers
Figma Make has the potential to redefine the roles of designers and developers, fostering a more collaborative and efficient workflow. For designers, the ability to generate functional prototypes without coding knowledge empowers them to test ideas quickly and iterate in real time. This reduces dependency on developers during the early stages of a project, allowing for faster feedback loops. The chat interface and drop-down menus further simplify the process, making it accessible to those with minimal technical expertise.
Developers, on the other hand, benefit from Figma Make’s integration with existing design systems. By generating code that adheres to predefined standards, the tool minimizes the need for extensive revisions, streamlining the handoff process. Developers can also directly modify the AI-generated code, ensuring that the final product meets technical requirements. This collaborative approach aligns with Figma’s broader mission to bridge the gap between design and development, a goal further supported by tools like Dev Mode and the forthcoming CMS for Figma Sites.
Opportunities and Challenges
The launch of Figma Make opens up several opportunities for the design community. First, it democratizes app and web development by lowering the technical barrier to entry. Designers who previously relied on developers to bring their ideas to life can now create functional prototypes independently, fostering innovation and experimentation. Second, the tool’s ability to integrate with design systems ensures consistency, which is particularly valuable for large organizations managing multiple projects. Finally, Figma Make’s iterative capabilities—via the chat interface and manual adjustments—encourage a more agile development process, enabling teams to refine their work efficiently.
However, challenges remain. The premium pricing model may exclude smaller teams or individual users, potentially widening the gap between enterprise clients and independent creators. Additionally, while Figma Make promises to adhere to design systems, the quality and accuracy of AI-generated code can vary. Developers may still need to invest significant time in debugging or optimizing the output, particularly for complex applications. There’s also the broader question of AI’s role in design: as tools like Figma Make automate more tasks, what does this mean for the future of the designer’s role? Figma’s CEO, Dylan Field, has emphasized that designers will remain critical in software development, but the balance between human creativity and AI automation remains a topic of debate.
Figma’s Strategic Position
Figma’s launch of Figma Make and Figma Sites comes at a pivotal moment for the company, which confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in April 2025, just a month before this announcement. After scrapping a $20 billion acquisition deal with Adobe in 2023 due to regulatory pressure, Figma has been positioning itself as a standalone leader in the design space. The introduction of AI-powered tools strengthens its competitive edge against rivals like Adobe, Canva, and emerging players in the vibe-coding market.
By expanding its platform to cover the entire product development lifecycle—from ideation to production—Figma is carving out a niche as an all-in-one solution for design and development teams. The company’s focus on collaboration, as evidenced by its global user base (85% of monthly active users are outside the U.S.) and features like Figma Buzz for marketers, further solidifies its appeal to enterprises. However, the success of Figma Make will depend on its ability to deliver reliable, high-quality code and justify its premium price in a market where free alternatives exist.
Insights
Figma Make represents a bold step forward in the evolution of design tools, harnessing AI to make development more accessible and efficient. Its integration with design systems, iterative editing capabilities, and companion tools like Figma Sites position it as a powerful asset for professional teams. However, its premium model and the inherent challenges of AI-generated code highlight areas for improvement. As Figma continues to roll out these features—currently in beta with plans for further enhancements like third-party integrations—the design community will be watching closely to see how this tool shapes the future of creativity and collaboration.
In a world where AI is increasingly intertwined with creative processes, Figma Make offers a glimpse into a future where the lines between design and development blur, empowering teams to bring their ideas to life faster than ever before. Whether this leads to a new era of innovation or raises new questions about the role of human creativity remains to be seen, but for now, Figma Make is a compelling addition to the design landscape.
