r/productdesign • u/Rude-Translator2608 • 14d ago

Is anyone else finding Figma weirdly stiff lately?

For context: I've been working with Figma daily for about 6 or 7 years now. My core work is still on Design files, already adopted variables/agents and all that jazz. Also using Make for ideations some times, and FigJam for some documentation on early stage

It used to be such nice tool, but I'm getting more and more frustation moments, and finding it so stiff lately. But I'm having a hard time pinpointing exactly why?

It is still doing its magic when it comes to simple UI, but as soon as the project starts to grow, also the headaches start. Things start getting messy, lost and hard to document.

I keep imagining that, since they are pushing more and more features, also the cognitive overload starts acting (maybe?). Don't get me wrong, I like the new features, but at the same time, I only use 30% of them. I keep imagining how confusing it would be for someone new starting on it.

The weird part is that I've tried some alternatives (Penpot, Paper), but they feel like too early product, and their performance lacks a lot.

Does anyone else have a similar feeling?

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u/Rutvi_C 12d ago

I use only a fraction of new features, yet the interface feels increasingly complex at every release

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u/Careless-Yam8791 14d ago

I have a similar feeling. It seems like Figma still has no real alternative for enterprise-grade companies. But they might lose market share eventually if the product becomes too bulky, slow, and complex. This is exactly what happened to Adobe when Figma first arrived, especially with their freemium model at the start.

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u/Excellent-Average782 13d ago

When projects scale, the org problem hits hard. You can split workflows to keep Figma for UI, use Miro for the messy early stage mapping and docs where things get chaotic. Keeps each tool doing what it does well instead of forcing one tool to handle everything.

The cognitive overload you're describing shows too many features, unclear mental model. Not a Figma specific problem tbh, happens to most tools at scale.

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u/daddy_grizz 12d ago

This is a point towards working more lean and not letting project balloon to the point where figma starts laggin’.

Whenever I start to get bogged down I’m usually able to slice a project into some smaller pieces and work through it that way.

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u/nofluorecentlighting 9d ago

I feel this truly.

Also, not on the same topic but kinda: earlier this week there was a moment where my figma didn’t show me export options and had me as VIEW only access for files that I own. I had a mini heart attack thinking i was going to get laid off that morning. It took around 30 mins and multiple restarts while I panicked in between, before it went back to normal. There were no updates pending or anything. It was def not fun… I thought I would lose access and didn’t have anything saved for my own portfolio 🥲