What Is Figma: Definition, Purpose, and How It Works

Figma is a design application that runs directly in a browser and lets many people work on the same file at the same time.

Table of Contents

• How Figma Works
• What Figma Is Used For
• Figma vs Canva
• Is It Suitable for Children

Figma is used mostly to design app and website screens - the UI side of a digital product, before that design is handed to a programmer to turn into code.

How Figma Works

Unlike most design applications, Figma does not need installing. You open a browser, and every file lives on the internet rather than on the computer.

The consequences are large. Two people can open the same file simultaneously and each sees the other's cursor moving. There is no more sending files back and forth with names like design-final-revision-3. Everyone always sees the current version.

For families in Indonesia there is another practical benefit: Figma runs acceptably on a modest laptop, because the heavy lifting is not carried entirely by the child's computer.

What Figma Is Used For

• Designing app and website screens before a programmer builds them.
• Building clickable prototypes - pages linked together so they feel like a real app, without a single line of code.
• Creating design systems of standard colours, type, and buttons meant for reuse.
• Working together, with comments left directly on the design.

The prototyping is what impresses children most. They can show friends an app they made, let them click through it, and get real reactions - long before they could program it.

Figma vs Canva

The two are not direct competitors. The sensible order for a child is Canva first, to understand the basics of graphic design, then Figma once they become interested in designing apps.

Is It Suitable for Children

Figma sets a minimum age of 13 for creating your own account. Younger children can still learn it inside a parent's or teacher's account, with supervision.

In terms of ability, children from around 11 are generally comfortable, particularly if they have used Canva before. A free education plan is available for students and teachers, so cost is not a barrier.

At Algonova, Figma is used on the graphic design track for teenagers, while the primary level starts with simpler tools. Want to know which track fits your child? Join a free class.