Tackling Presentation Challenges in the Humanitarian Sector with Figma Slides

At Here I Am we've long been torn between the excellent collaboration features of Google Slides and the quality design features of Apple’s Keynote - now Figma Slides combines the two - and we are one happy design studio!

Figma Slides, Figma’s new presentation tool and latest addition to the Figma ecosystem, is making an impact in the tech industry by offering a powerful combination of design flexibility, collaboration and user-friendliness. Whether you're a seasoned designer or a non-designer, Figma Slides has features to cater to everyone’s needs and experience levels.

Pros

1. Easy to Use for Non-Designers

Figma Slides is intuitive and will feel familiar to those already using presentation tools like Keynote, Powerpoint or Google Slides. With well-crafted templates and straight-forward slide mode, creating professional presentations is easy and efficient even for those without a design background. The “Adjust Tone” feature will also simplify maintaining consistent presentation copy by utilising AI to modify the tone of voice across all text in the presentation.

2. Precision Design with Design Mode

For those familiar with Figma's robust design tools, the switch to design mode is a game-changer. It gives designers access to core Figma features like auto-layout to allow for precise and detailed slide creation.

3. Custom Templates and Themes

Teams can maintain consistency and quality across all presentations by using custom templates and themes. This is particularly beneficial for branding, ensuring all decks reflect the company's visual identity, regardless of who creates them.

4. Smooth Team Collaboration

Figma Slides excels in its collaborative capabilities. Team members can work together in real-time, leaving comments and suggestions directly on the slides. This feature significantly enhances teamwork and streamlines the review process.

5. Interactive Design Features

One really nice surprise with Figma Slides is its ability to incorporate Figma prototypes to your decks. This functionality can elevate presentations, making them more engaging and dynamic, and saving us from the clumsy process of switching from your deck to Figma mid-presentation.

Cons

1. Missed Features

While Figma Slides is robust, it is missing a few relatively basic tools that presentation creators are used to with the likes of Keynote and Powerpoint that would enhance its usability. Automated pagination, the introduction of components for recurring elements, and the ability to hide slides would all be valuable additions. These features would simplify slide management and ensure consistency across presentations. Many AI features have recently been launched for Figma, but are yet to be included in Slides – we're looking forward to the future iterations that we anticipate will leverage AI even more.

2. Access Limitations

Currently, the ability to use custom themes and templates is restricted to organisation and enterprise plans. This limitation can be a significant barrier for smaller organisations who need these core features but cannot justify paying for the higher-tier plans.

3. Pricing Structure

Once Figma Slides moves out of Beta, the anticipated pricing structure may pose challenges for collaboration with external parties. Sharing editable versions of presentations or collaborating with clients could incur additional costs, which might not be feasible for all users. At Here I Am we like to collaborate closely with our partners so sharing edit access on documents can be really powerful. A feature similar to Figjam’s Open sessions would be a great addition to expand collaboration on presentations to external partners.

Give it a go

Figma Slides offers a compelling suite of features that cater to both designers and non-designers, enhancing the presentation creation process. Its ease of use, collaborative tools, and interactive capabilities make it a powerful tool. Gone are the days of logos jumping between slides, countless versions that you can't keep track of and inconsistent font sizes. With Figma Slides, teams don't have to choose between collaboration and creative excellence—they get both in one package. However, certain limitations and potential cost implications may impact its accessibility and appeal, especially for smaller agencies and freelancers. Addressing these areas could make Figma Slides an indispensable tool for a broader audience.