Interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities of design in Brazil, Figma — a design and development platform for people who build apps, websites, and other digital products together — conducted a survey with professionals in the field, and one of the findings concerns the increasingly strategic role that design is playing in companies. Almost half of the respondents (47%) stated they directly participate in product definition, strategy, and business vision, while 26% said they are consulted on some decisions, even though design usually enters the process after the scope is already defined.
The relevance of the area is further emphasized by the perceptions of leadership and other teams. According to 91% of the participants, people recognize in some way the value that design adds to the company’s results — a fact that consolidates the importance of these professionals beyond visual execution. “Design has become a strategic differentiator — whether in Brazilian startups creating innovative digital experiences or in large companies that are scaling their design systems to meet a growing demand,” explains Yuhki Yamashita, Figma’s Chief Product Officer.
The data was presented on Wednesday (07/02) during an event in Sao Paulo, which brought together members of the local community, leaders of the digital ecosystem, and clients such as Nubank, Ifood, Mercado Livre, and Itau. The meeting marked a strategic step in solidifying Figma in Latin America, with the announcement of the arrival of the Spanish version focused on the countries of the region, following the recent launch of the Brazilian Portuguese version.
The research, conducted in partnership with MindMiners, surveyed 300 Brazilian professionals in leadership positions in the design, engineering, and product areas. The goal was to understand how artificial intelligence is being integrated into local companies and to map the misalignments and contradictions that still mark its application in practice.
The tools behind the result
In May, the platform announced the complete localization of its product for Brazilian Portuguese. “Latin America is a vibrant hub of creativity and talent in design,” says Débora Mioranzza, Head for Latin America at Figma. “We are getting even closer to our community and offering a fully localized product, so that companies across the region can create the best digital experiences for their audiences.”
The new version includes the full interface translation, cultural adaptations, and dedicated support in Portuguese, which should facilitate adoption by new users and reduce barriers in daily use. This is because the research also showed that 31% agree that the use of English limits the adoption of a design tool or requires additional effort from the team.
The relationship between design and AI
Although this innovation is already present in almost 90% of companies, when the research investigated the level of maturity in design, the results were quite varied. Today, only 16% indicate they already have broad and consistent integration of artificial intelligence into their workflows and 13% signal a structured use in parts of the design process.
On the other hand, 32% of respondents say that AI is still in the exploratory phase in their work, with sporadic tests; while 27% have some applications in use, but without structured processes. In other words, although this technology is already part of the scenario, there is still a long way to go until its full and mature adoption in Brazilian design.
Part of this can be explained by the fact that the balance between organizational support and team empowerment is still not complete in many companies. According to the survey, 55% of respondents indicate that their companies provide adequate support and resources, and have teams capable of applying AI in the daily design. This group brings together the two necessary conditions for a consistent application of the technology.
However, 45% of respondents still report some degree of misalignment between organizational structure and team readiness:
- 25% state that the company already provides support and resources, but the team is not fully empowered.
- 11% indicate the opposite scenario: the team already has knowledge and skills, but the organization lacks sufficient support and infrastructure.
- 4% have simultaneous deficiencies – both in training and organizational support.
- 5% say that the topic has not yet been discussed internally or that they do not know how to answer the question.
When these two conditions are met, however, it is expected to resolve another challenge identified by the research: the better use of time.
During Config 2025, Figma announced a new generation of products focused on artificial intelligence to tackle this challenge. Figma Make, for instance, allows creating prototypes from natural language descriptions, while Figma Sites streamlines technical steps by enabling a single person to create and publish a complete website without leaving the platform.
Wasted Resource
According to 64% of respondents, a large or significant part of the work routine is still consumed by repetitive tasks, with only 9% indicating that most of the time is dedicated to creative or analytical activities.
This disconnect becomes even more intriguing when compared to the positive perception towards AI: 83% of designers say AI significantly increases the efficiency of their work. Furthermore, 82% agree that this innovation allows dedicating more time to improving their professional expertise.
This indicates that even with a high recognition of technology’s potential to boost efficiency and free up time for higher-value activities, the daily design routine seems largely captured by repetitive operational demands. The solution? Progressing in solidifying AI as a structural part of the design process— with integrated tools, continuous training, and clear organizational support.
The platform’s new features also address this productivity bottleneck. Figma Buzz, for example, was designed for marketing teams needing to produce pieces at scale, with visual consistency and reduced operational burden. Meanwhile, Grid automates CSS code generation and facilitates handoff between design and development.
