- Figma releases extensive AI study
- Adoption and rollout increases for design and development
- But users still think it’s not as useful as it could be
As artificial intelligence continues its way to world domination, Figma has revealed a new study that seeks to explore how designers and developers implement AI tools in the field.
The results are a bit of a mixed bag showing that although AI becomes an integral part of the workflow, it does not always live up to the promise.
The study follows from news that Figma, together with Adobe and Canva, has integrated Openais ‘GPT-Image-1’ model in its design platform.
What users really think about AI
85%. It is the heading of the study that says “85% of respondents say AI will be important for future success in their role.” But how this success is achieved, or what it even looks like, remains fuzzy right now.
The company has explored how companies build AI-powered products for the market, as well as reveal how design and DEV teams use the tools in daily workflows. Either way, the results show that despite the fact that embracing the technology right now, it is not to live up to honest over -peak expectations.
According to Figma, one in three says they have sent AI -powered products – an increase of 50% since last year’s survey. This includes a wide range of uses, including analysis, document interpretation and product strategy and marketing growth.
However, designers and developers admitted that “many AI projects still lack clarity in the purpose”, with Figma pointing to the nebulo -defined goals such as AI Experimentation and CX improvements offered by the respondents. This, the company claims, makes it difficult to measure the true influence of artificial intelligence.
The ball between reality and potential can also be seen in how designers and developers use AI. Because, while 78% believe that the use of AI makes their workflows more efficient, only 58% calculate that it improves the quality of work. Fewer than half of the respondents say Figma, “made them better for their jobs.”
Figma also notes that despite 83% of those surveyed, it is important to learn how to work with AI for future success, those who believe it will have a “significant influence” on reaching the company’s goals, only to 27%. Users who say that AI will be “transformations” dwells at 15%exactly where it was in last year’s study.
In other words, the company says, the belief in the potential is high, but expectations, while stabilization, are low due to having experienced the true limitations of current artificial intelligence technology.
Despite the general skepticism about how useful AI is right now, there is some optimism in the design and dev world. Agentic AI is now the fastest growing category that doubles year by year – although it is not yet to see text generation as the largest project type.
The use also increases, especially among developers. Where only 69% of the designers say they are satisfied with AI tools and 54% of them feel that the quality of their work is improving when they use AI, these figures jump to 83% and 67% for those working in development.
However, Figma points out that the difference is probably down to how artificial intelligence is used across different projects, where designers mainly use the tools for them as a creation (31%) compared to core development responsibility, such as code generation used by 59% of developers.
So all in all, results are mixing right now – how it will change when AI continues to improve will be one to look at.
Figma examined 2500 developers and designers globally between January 8 and January 30, 2025. You can get the full report here.
