Podcast Summary: Design Better - Episode with Noah Levin, VP of Design at Figma

Release Date: July 16, 2025
Title: Noah Levin: AMA with Figma's VP of Design on their Latest Releases
Host: The Curiosity Department, Sponsored by Wix Studio

Introduction

In this enlightening episode of Design Better, co-hosts Eli Woolery and Aaron Walter welcome Noah Levin, the Vice President of Design at Figma, for a special AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. Recorded live at Figma's annual conference, Config, on July 16, 2025, the discussion delves deep into Figma’s latest product releases, team scaling in the AI era, designer-developer collaboration, and future tool developments. The conversation is rich with insights, personal anecdotes, and actionable advice for both budding and seasoned designers.

Figma’s Evolution and Team Growth

Noah Levin begins by sharing a visual journey of Figma’s growth over the past eight years. He showcases photos from 2017 to the present, highlighting the expansion of the design team from a handful of members to a robust organization.

“Nothing great is made alone,” Noah emphasizes (07:30), underscoring the importance of collaboration and community in Figma’s success.

Levin reflects on the challenges of scaling a design team, especially through significant changes like the pandemic. He notes the necessity of adapting to constant change and the invaluable lessons learned in leadership and team dynamics.

Introduction to New Figma Features

Noah introduces several new features unveiled during Config, portraying Figma as a comprehensive creative operating system. The key products discussed include:

1. Figma Make

   • Functionality: Allows users to prompt and generate designs using AI, bridging the gap between ideas and their visual realization.
   • Notable Quote: “We want to help you make it real, whatever your imagination is” (19:54).

2. Figma Draw

   • Functionality: Enhances creative expression with dynamic tools like variable width strokes, enabling more intricate and fluid designs.
   • Notable Quote: “Figma Draw is something that's really near and dear to my heart” (19:54).

3. Figma Sites

   • Functionality: Simplifies website publishing directly from Figma, allowing designers to effortlessly turn their creations into live websites.
   • Personal Example: Levin shares his personal project, somethings.fyi, built entirely with Figma Sites, showcasing its capabilities and ease of use.

4. Code Layers

   • Functionality: Integrates AI-driven prompts to add interactive and animated elements to designs without requiring traditional coding skills.
   • Notable Quote: “It's the ability to add a prompt to existing designs... without needing to code” (22:34).

5. Figma Butts

   • Functionality: Designed for marketers, this tool facilitates the creation of scalable marketing assets across various platforms with ease.
   • AI Integration: Partnership with OpenAI enhances image manipulation and other creative processes within Figma.

Personal Projects and Community Engagement

Noah Levin shares personal projects to illustrate the practical applications of Figma's new tools:

• Project: somethings.fyi

  • Description: An homage to his favorite objects, integrating interactive 3D elements and responsive design.
  • Notable Quote: “It's just kind of fun to have like this living document that kind of just exists on the web” (22:34).

• Wedding Site

  • Functionality: Designed for personal use, demonstrating Figma’s versatility in building interactive and dynamic websites.
  • AI Feature Utilization: Bulk Create was used to generate icebreaker questions for a baby shower, showcasing the tool’s utility in event planning.

Levin emphasizes the importance of community feedback in shaping Figma’s features, highlighting how user interactions guide product development.

“Behind those questions are clues... on what we should be building next” (28:00).

Q&A Highlights

1. Career Growth for Junior UX Designers

Question: What do you wish more junior UX designers understood about career growth?

Noah Levin’s Response:

• Focus on being helpful and leveraging your unique strengths rather than trying to master everything simultaneously.
• Embrace collaboration and understand that “nothing's great is made alone” (30:38).
• Quote: “Use whatever one of those things you feel comfortable in... just try to focus on being helpful” (31:10).

2. Impact of AI on Design Careers

Question: How should designers and developers prepare for the evolving landscape due to AI?

Noah Levin’s Response:

• Designers’ Role: Increasingly crucial in ensuring software remains useful, simple, and user-friendly amidst rapid technological advancements.
• Encourage designers to engage with AI tools proactively, using curiosity and play to integrate AI into their workflows.
• Quote: “I actually think this might sound like surprising to people. I actually think it's the best time to be a designer right now” (33:00).

3. Bridging Design Systems and Development Tools

Question: Recommendations for syncing design systems with component libraries like Storybook and GitHub.

Noah Levin’s Response:

• Introduce Dev Mode and Code Connect to enhance collaboration between designers and developers.
• Ensure design systems mirror what developers build to maintain consistency across platforms.
• Quote: “Code Connect is a good start, recommend checking it out” (37:28).

4. Hiring and Scaling Design Teams in the AI Era

Question: How to hire and scale design teams considering AI advancements?

Noah Levin’s Response:

• Focus on enabling and empowering designers rather than merely scaling for growth.
• Lead by example, encouraging team members to experiment with and adopt AI tools.
• Introduce roles like AI Model Designer to specialize in integrating AI with design processes.
• Quote: “Why not understand how this stuff is getting built?” (41:07).

5. Support for Print Design Workflows

Question: Will Figma introduce more tools to support print-focused workflows?

Noah Levin’s Response:

• Acknowledges current capabilities and expresses openness to feedback.
• Highlights existing features like CMYK support and responsive templates.
• Quote: “It's an interesting one. Can't speak to like our feature of math in general...” (53:14).

6. Enhancing Table Design in Figma

Question: Figma's table design is time-consuming and repetitive. How is Figma addressing this?

Noah Levin’s Response:

• Acknowledges the need for improved table functionalities.
• Mentions recent enhancements like grid systems and the ongoing effort to refine table tools.
• Quote: “It's definitely something we talk about a lot” (54:36).

7. Collaborative Relationships Between Designers and Developers

Question: Advice for creating more collaborative and enjoyable relationships between design and development teams?

Noah Levin’s Response:

• Emphasize mutual understanding and communication.
• Involve developers early in the design process to foster collaboration and reduce friction.
• Quote: “The proverb, if you want to go far, go together. I think that very much applies to this designer-developer relationship” (58:30).

Noah Levin’s Key Lessons from Figma’s Latest Version

• Delegation and Trust: With multiple products, it’s essential to delegate responsibilities and trust team members to manage different aspects.

• Understanding Diverse Audiences: Beyond designers, investing time to understand the needs of marketers, developers, and other creative professionals is crucial.

• Embracing Innovation: Continuously exploring and integrating new technologies like AI to stay ahead in the design industry.

“We have an increasing audience in the company... how do we invest more time in understanding those different audiences as well” (61:07).

Closing Remarks

Noah Levin concludes by reiterating Figma’s commitment to community-driven development and the importance of continuous feedback from users. He encourages designers to share their ideas and collaborate to shape the future of design tools.

“Don't be shy. You have so many good ideas as designers. You probably have an intuition of what you wish we did. Let us know” (59:24).

Aaron and Eli wrap up the session by thanking Noah for his valuable insights and highlighting the availability of the AMA recording and additional resources on the Design Better website.

Notable Quotes:

• “Nothing great is made alone.” — Noah Levin (07:30)
• “Use whatever one of those things you feel comfortable in... just try to focus on being helpful.” — Noah Levin (31:10)
• “I actually think this might sound like surprising to people. I actually think it's the best time to be a designer right now.” — Noah Levin (33:00)
• “Code Connect is a good start, recommend checking it out.” — Noah Levin (37:28)
• “Why not understand how this stuff is getting built?” — Noah Levin (41:07)
• “Don't be shy. You have so many good ideas as designers. You probably have an intuition of what you wish we did. Let us know.” — Noah Levin (59:24)

Conclusion

This episode of Design Better provides an in-depth look into Figma’s strategic advancements and the thoughtful leadership of Noah Levin. From innovative tool releases to fostering collaborative team environments in an AI-driven landscape, listeners gain valuable perspectives on navigating the evolving world of design. Whether you’re a junior designer seeking career growth or a seasoned professional interested in the intersection of design and technology, this conversation offers rich insights to inspire and inform your creative journey.