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 collaboratively — conducted a survey with professionals in the field, and one of the findings concerns the increasingly strategic role design is taking in companies. Nearly half of the respondents (47%) said they directly participate in product definition, strategy, and business vision, while 26% stated they are consulted on some decisions, although design often enters the process after the scope has already been defined.
The relevance of the field is further reinforced by the perception of leadership and other teams. According to 91% of 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 scaling their design systems to meet growing demand,” explains Yuhki Yamashita, Chief Product Officer at Figma.
The data was presented this Wednesday (07/02) during an event in São Paulo, which brought together members of the local community, leaders of the digital ecosystem, and clients such as Nubank, Ifood, Mercado Livre, and Itaú. The event marked a strategic step in Figma’s consolidation in Latin America, with the announcement of a Spanish-language version focused on the region’s countries, following the recent launch of the Brazilian Portuguese version.
The survey, conducted in partnership with MindMiners, interviewed 300 Brazilian professionals in leadership roles in design, engineering, and product. 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 practical application.
The tools behind the result
In May, the platform announced the full localization of its product for Brazilian Portuguese. “Latin America is a vibrant hub of creativity and design talent,” says Débora Mioranzza, Head of Latin America at Figma. “We are getting even closer to our community and offering a fully localized product so companies across the region can create the best digital experiences for their audiences.”
The new version includes a complete translation of the interface, cultural adaptations, and dedicated support in Portuguese, which should facilitate adoption by new users and reduce barriers in daily use. This is because the survey 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 nearly 90% of companies, when the survey examined the maturity level in design, the results varied widely. Today, only 16% indicate they have broad and consistent integration of AI in their workflows, and 13% report structured use in parts of the design process.
On the other hand, 32% of respondents say AI is still in an exploratory phase in their work, with limited testing, while 27% have some applications in use but without structured processes. In other words, although this technology is already part of the landscape, there is still a long way to go before 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 training is not yet fully established in many companies. According to the survey, 55% of respondents indicate that their companies provide adequate support and resources and have teams trained to apply AI in their daily design work. This group meets both conditions necessary for consistent technology application.
However, 45% of respondents still report some degree of misalignment between organizational structure and team preparedness:
- 25% state that the company already provides support and resources, but the team is not yet fully trained.
- 11% indicate the opposite scenario: the team already has knowledge and skills, but the organization still lacks sufficient support and infrastructure.
- 4% face simultaneous gaps — both in training and organizational support.
- 5% say the topic has not yet been discussed internally or that they don’t know how to answer the question.
However, once these two conditions are met, it is expected to solve another challenge identified by the survey: better use of time.
In fact, during Config 2025, Figma announced a new generation of products focused on artificial intelligence precisely to address this challenge. Figma Make, for example, allows users to create prototypes from natural language descriptions, while Figma Sites eliminates technical steps by enabling a single person to create and publish a full website without leaving the platform.
Wasted resource
According to 64% of respondents, a large or significant portion of their work routine is still consumed by repetitive tasks, and only 9% indicate that most of their time is dedicated to creative or analytical activities.
This mismatch is even more curious when contrasted with the positive perception of AI: 83% of designers say AI significantly increases their work efficiency. Additionally, 82% agree that this innovation allows them to dedicate more time to refining their professional expertise.
This means that, despite high recognition of the technology’s potential to increase efficiency and free up time for higher-value activities, the daily design routine seems largely consumed by repetitive operational demands. The solution? Advance the consolidation of AI as a structuring part of the design process — with integrated tools, continuous training, and clear organizational support.
The innovations presented by the platform also address this productivity bottleneck. Figma Buzz, for example, was developed for marketing teams that need to produce assets at scale with visual consistency and lower operational workload. Meanwhile, Grid automates CSS code generation and facilitates the handoff between design and development.
