What the Future of UX Design Needs

How to Optimize Workflows & Create Meaningful Stories

In January 2023, [A] conducted a survey and set of interviews to gain insight into the current state of content in the design process. The findings reveal some fascinating trends and challenges that designers face in their quest to create compelling and meaningful content. 
 
  • Over 80% of respondents use Figma daily, with text pasted from existing websites or apps being the most common type of content used in Figma design files. 
 
  • The most desired type of content for Figma design files is text linked to a Content Management System. Despite design systems being common, most respondents do not use additional tools outside of Figma, which may indicate an underserved audience for content in Figma. 
 
  • Team size and budget were identified as barriers to the adoption of additional tools for design processes. 
 
  • Figma users face content management and review challenges, including confusion about reviewing content, insufficient commenting functions, and difficulties in communicating accessibility concerns and best practices.

These findings highlight the need for designers to optimize their content workflows to ensure that their designs are impactful, accessible, and meaningful.

It is clear that many content designers are working alongside UX and UI designers, and the meeting place for their collaboration is very often Figma. Figma offers a multi-user collaborative environment with modular and reusable design elements. Along with plug-ins, Figma becomes an excellent place to orchestrate component-based design processes along with component-based content. The missing piece has been the lack of connectivity between the headless Content Management Systems which house the component content and the user interface designs which use the modular component as an essential part of the experience.
 
   Get the full Figma Content Study Report!  
 

Addressing the Need for Structured Content Workflows  

In partnership with industry leaders, [A] has created the Schematica suite of software specifically designed to integrate component content seamlessly into the Figma-based UX design life cycle. With the ability to design with structured content, we're confident that we can revolutionize the UX design process, bringing content and design systems together in perfect harmony. Whether you're a designer, content creator, developer, or just someone who cares about creating meaningful and impactful content, the Schematica suite of plugins has got you covered. By harnessing the power of live, real content. 
 

Benefits of RealContent Plugin

RealContent is a Figma plugin that provides benefits to designers, content strategists, developers and customers alike. By integrating this tool, designers are now able to create designs incorporating true-to-life elements from the onset of their projects, allowing for more technical precision in creation. Content Strategists gain greater insight into how content operates within design frameworks through an accurate representation. Developers see improved efficiency with easy access realtime data while Customers can look forward to seamless navigation which leads towards enhanced user experience and heightened satisfaction levels overall

UI designers can begin working with real content from the start:

  • No more placeholder content that needs to be replaced later, which saves time and effort.
  • Create more accurate and realistic designs, minimizing ‘rework’.
  • Ensures that content and design work together seamlessly.

Content Strategists benefit from having a more accurate representation of content in the design:

  • Better evaluate how the content will be presented and perform.
  • Allows for feedback to designers and developers based on actual content.
  • Align content with the overall brand message and tone.

Content Designers no longer need to search for content outside the design tool:

  • RealContent eliminates the need for manual copy-pasting of content, which saves time and effort.
  • Focus on creating high-quality content rather than spending time searching.
  • View how content fits into the overall design.

Developers now have easy access to real content:

  • Quickly and easily add real content to designs without leaving their development environment.
  • See how code interacts with real content, which helps them to identify potential issues early on.
  • Gain a clear picture of how code aligns with the overall design.

Customers benefit from a more seamless and cohesive experience:

  • Customers are coming to expect a more personalized and engaging experience, and RealContent helps designers and content creators to deliver just that.
  • Real content in the design ensures that customers can see how content fits into the overall design, which helps them to better understand the product or service.

Conclusion

Designers, developers, and content strategists are all in agreement that optimizing workflows can have a real impact on their designs. The survey suggests the difficulties encountered when trying to create effective, meaningful visuals. Schematica's suite of plugins offers an invaluable benefit package that unites RealContent with design systems for streamlined production processes resulting in powerful visual stories and resonating with audiences everywhere. Therefore it is highly recommended that designer teams explore this comprehensive offering as part of their workflow optimization strategies.