This year the designers at Redonk had the opportunity to attend Figma’s Config 2024 conference in person in San Francisco at the Moscone Center downtown! Over the years, I’ve attended the keynotes and new feature sessions online, but it was totally different in person. Being around fellow UX/UI designers who use the same tools was refreshing. No need to explain the daily grind – we just spoke design!
Day 0: Figma Commons and Badge Pickup
We went the day before the conference to pick up our badges early. Badge pickup was a breeze. Figma’s ushers efficiently guided attendees, making the process swift and painless. The lines weren’t too long, and I was super stoked to get my conference swag! This year’s swag was a colorful tote bag, which was randomly given to you (unless you’re a blue fiend like me and asked for the blue bag if they had any).
We made our way to the Figma Commons event, the welcome to the conference party. It was so cool seeing the entire garden Figma branded! We got a chance to meet up with old friends and just snack, drink and catch up; it was a great way to kick off the conference!
Day 1: Maneuvering Config
San Francisco greeted us with fantastic weather – a perfect start to the conference. Thankfully, we’d secured our badges the prior day, avoiding the seemingly endless lines that snaked down both sides of the block, we waltzed right in. As we made our way down the escalators into the main hall, we were greeted by a bustling crowd, a coffee bar and booths from Figma collaboration companies.
We made our way to the main hall where ushers expertly guided attendees to fill the central seating before fanning out to the sides, ensuring everyone had a good view of the multiple screens. The accessible seating was a thoughtful touch.
Figma kicked off Config with a buzzing keynote and impressive innovations. Figma unveiled a slew of exciting new features – a redesigned UI, enhanced organization tools, AI-powered design assistance, improved search functionality, and developer mode upgrades. It was clear Figma is dedicated to improving our design workflows.
I ambitiously planned to attend all the speaker sessions I had signed up for, but the sheer volume proved overwhelming. While some sessions were truly inspiring, others fell flat. I ended the day exhausted but exhilarated (it was my first conference, after all!), I realized I’d underestimated the sheer number of activities, my feet were feeling quite done for the day. Day 1 highlighted the importance of strategically selecting sessions, so I decided to change up my schedule for Day 2.
Day 2: Tackling Config
By giving myself a more relaxed schedule today, I felt like I was able to enjoy the conference more. The lines at Config were no joke, so I left a bunch of time in my schedule to experience the bag tote customization station and time to visit a few booths that caught my eye the day before. I’m a sucker for freebies, so I had to make sure I got all the stickers and pins available!
My speaker sessions today were way better! Once again, the keynote address proved to be the highlight. Simone Giertz was a charismatic speaker who really got the audience engaged during her talk on being able to move from the self-deprecating title of “Queen of Shitty Robots” to founder of the innovative Yetch Store.
Figma’s unveiling of Figma Slides (“Flides” – a far cooler name, in my opinion) further fueled my excitement to get into the beta. Seizing the opportunity, I swapped my planned session for the “Figma New Features Deep Dive” so I could learn more about this release.
Next, was the session I was most excited to attend – Jessica Hische’s! She’s been one of my design idols since college and hearing her talk about her design approach to brand refreshes was so motivating. I was just in awe seeing her designs on the big screen, it was just eye candy after eye candy. She was also great at engaging the audience by periodically having guessing games with her designs. By the second session of Day 2, it was already clear that this day would surpass the first in every way.
The session with Cam Worboys from Cash App proved equally captivating. The presentation itself was a masterpiece of design. He was a great speaker, focusing on how he transitioned from the design system of Wise to Cash App.
While the day’s earlier sessions had been stellar, the closing session left me wanting more. The comedian, though undeniably funny, attempted to integrate design terminology a little too forcefully. Additionally, the interview with Spike Jonze felt more like a thinly veiled opportunity for the interviewer to promote their own agenda, rather than allowing Jonze’s voice to shine. Compared to the electrifying keynotes, this closing felt like a missed opportunity.
My Advice and Final Thoughts
- Grab your badge early – avoid printer delays or malfunctions!
- Schedule smartly: leave room in your schedule to breathe & explore booths.
- Eat early or plan alternatives: lunch options may be limited, and you might be left with something unappetizing.
- Expect long lines: Build in time for all the booths you want to visit; it might take a while!
- Comfy clothes & shoes are key: You’ll be on your feet a lot, especially if you’re waiting in those lines.
- Hydrate: Take advantage of the water stations.
While the closing session didn’t quite match the excitement of the keynotes, Config 2024 far exceeded my expectations and was nothing like I expected, but I learned so much. We ended our conference trip with a visit to the SF MoMA on our last day for some extra inspiration. Now, with coveted access to the Figma beta and the future release of the new AI features on the horizon, I eagerly await to test these new capabilities.
