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Atmrix

About

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

We decided to focus on WebGL for Figma, as Evan had significant expertise in it, which led us to explore tools and software rather than gaming.

Video

YC

The Future Of Design With Figma's Dylan Field

@ Y Combinator

The Future Of Design With Figma's Dylan Field

03/13/25

Related Takeaways

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

When starting Figma, Evan and I focused on the technologies that were emerging, particularly drones and WebGL, to identify opportunities in design.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

Initially, we experimented with various ideas, including meme generation, which ultimately led us to realize that Figma's direction was not aligned with our goals.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

We actively dogfooded Figma internally, which helped us identify and fix user experience issues before launching to the public.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

Figma's development was driven by user behavior, especially during the pandemic, leading us to create new products like FigJam and Figma Slides.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

Our early pitch for Figma was unfocused, but we were fortunate to have investors who believed in our potential to figure things out as we progressed.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

As we developed Figma, we recognized that the design market was rapidly growing, contrary to our initial belief that it was small.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

The first text rendering technology we developed for our meme generator ended up being reused in Figma, showcasing how early experiments can inform future products.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

Evan vetoed the idea of pursuing drones for Figma, believing that the regulatory challenges and hardware complexities would slow down our progress.

DF

Dylan Field

03/13/25

@ Y Combinator

Initially, Figma faced skepticism, but over time, it demonstrated its value and potential for collaboration among designers and engineers.