Figma vs. Optimal

Figma allows us to create assets across multiple teams, such as email templates, website assets like site banners, product pictures, and Amazon/retail digital content. Outside of Figma, our design team still needs to rely on some other features to create all of our assets. This could include things like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and GIF makers. It would be nice if Figma included some of the basic features of these other platforms so that we could create everything in one platform.

Incentivized

The tools are great for user researchers who have a solid foundation with IA research methods, or are willing to learn them while using the tools. However they don't magically create valid IA studies; someone with no IA research experience may struggle to use the tools and/or run studies resulting in poor quality data.

• Detailed enough to create pixel perfect designs with total control over the outcome
• Creating and implementing design systems to improve consistency and speed up design work
• Robust prototyping tools to create simple animations or to connect various pages
• I love autolayout, which improves design spacing and responsiveness

Incentivized

• Optimal Workshop's UI and UX are impeccable. It's incredibly easy to use and set up tests even for novices.
• Optimal Workshop's test type offerings are fantastic. They have almost anything you could need within the platform.
• Optimal Workshop's payment options are incredibly reasonable and useful whether you're doing very few tests or a lot of tests.

Incentivized

• Prototyping in Figma is pretty much nothing more than a glorified slide show. Sure, variables, etc are available but it takes way to long to set them up and even more time when there are revisions needed.
• It would be helpful if there were a contextual help system for various functionality. For example, advanced autolayout (like space between) can become very tricky to implement sometimes. I often wish there were an AI assistant to ask for help. I often use ChatGTP to help me through these times.
• Searching layers needs to be much easier and more intuitive.
• I would like to be able to make groups like the layers palette in Photoshop. That would help with organization and speed a lot.

Incentivized

• The recruitment panelists are not professional, nor do they take the tasks seriously. You are going to get a lot of bad data.
• They are HQ'd outside the US and must have a small team because the customer service is the absolute WORST I've experienced in their industry.
• They pride themselves on documentation, but when they fail to document something they blame the customer for the mistake.
• There are way too many limitations with the tool after you launch, limited integrations, and poor survey questionnaire options. The tool itself is far too basic for most sites, especially B2B.

Figma is a pretty cool tool in many areas. My team almost uses it on daily basis, such as, brainstorming on product/design topics, discussing prototypes created by designers. We even use it for retrospectives, which is super convenient and naturally keeps records of what the team discusses every month. Furthermore, I do see the potential of the product - currently we mainly use it for design topics, but it seems it is also a good fit for tech diagrams, which we probably will explore further in the future.

Incentivized

It's easy to use for designers who are familiar with design terms and functions from Photoshop and Illustrator. However, non-tech and non-designer collaborators have a hard time figuring out how to leave comments and apply changes, compared to other online design tools like Canva and Squarespace. Even simple drag-and-drops and rearrangement of certain blocks become too complicated due to uncommon functions like Hug and Lock.

Incentivized

I would rate Optimal Workshop's overall usability 9 out of 10 due to several key factors. Firstly, the platform has a user-friendly interface makes navigation straightforward, even for first-time users. The tools and features are well-organized, ensuring users can quickly find what they need without unnecessary complexity. Secondly, the platform is highly intuitive, meaning users can easily understand how to perform tasks without extensive guidance. This is supported by clear and concise instructions throughout the application, reducing the learning curve significantly.

Additionally, the learnability of Optimal Workshop is exceptional. New users can become proficient in a short amount of time, thanks to its well-thought-out design and helpful onboarding materials. Even more advanced features are presented in a way that feels approachable and manageable. Finally, the platform supports a seamless workflow, allowing users to focus on their research or tasks rather than struggling with the software. These qualities collectively make Optimal Workshop a reliable and efficient tool for many projects, justifying its high usability rating.

Incentivized

The only regret I have is, its not available when there is no internet

Incentivized

I think its great, As there are many other software or systems which can be integrated with it as plugins or API's

Incentivized

I haven't used their support lately but in the past, they had a chat that I used often. They often responded in a few hours and were able to give a satisfactory solution. I would imagine it's less personal now but the community has expanded drastically so there are more resources out there to self serve with a bit of Google magic.

Incentivized

We’ve never had to use much of their support services since the platform is very easy to use, we have however needed to transfer ownership between team members due to people leaving or other circumstances. Under those situations, the support offered to us has been been very quick and efficient and we never had to nudge them much to get the job done.

Incentivized

In-person training has its own benefits - 1. It helps in resolving queries then and there during the training. 2. I find classroom or in-person training more interactive. 3. Classroom or in-person training could be more practical in nature where participants can have an hands on experience with tools and clarify their doubts with the trainer.

Incentivized

Online training has its own merits and demerits - 1. Sometimes we may face issues with connectivity or the training content 2. The way training is being delivered becomes very important because not everyone is comfortable taking online training and learning by themselves. 3. With the advancement of technology online training has become popular but there is a segment of people who still prefer class-room training over online one.

Incentivized

I would use Figma for sure for any product design you need, for any marketing or visual illustrations related to a product or business. Even if the navigation between files/folders and within the design is not the best, the capabilities and focus on designing are the best in the market, vs other tools like Miro.

Incentivized

Optimal Workshop was the best tool that provided just what we needed and not anything more. The price point was also perfect for us as it provided room to try it out and then jump into a bigger package

Incentivized

I think this is great and as I mentioned at ADP we use Figma extensively whether by designers, researchers or content writers

Incentivized

• We have the Figma Org Plan subscription on the annual renewal basis, and we use Figma exclusively for all of our digital product design initiatives/projects. As we are still a very small & lean In-house UX/Product Design team, we see the value in using Figma to curate our Design System libraries which allow us to collaborate and partner with our PMs and Engineers quite well on multiple product design & development initiatives.

Incentivized

• Optimal Workshop has provided a very low-risk, quick testing ground for navigation menus. So while the full impact cannot be determined, we are happy we are using Optimal Workshop, and are gaining benefits from it.

Incentivized