Despite the initial perception of design as something affecting only the way the product looks but not the way it works, modern web design has gone far beyond this simple approach. The current definition covers every aspect of customers’ interaction with the software and defines their overall experience of working with the company. Therefore, designers and developers require powerful tools to ease their work and fully realize their creative potential.
What’s So Special about this Software?
– First and foremost, specific design tools allow users to significantly reduce time wasted on repeating unnecessary steps in development. They have in-built functionality that saves designers dozens of hours.
– Teams have proven to be more effective in complex projects than individuals, and design software developers know it. The features of these programs allow for collaboration and exchange of information between colleagues, which is essential at the workplace.
Who Are the Main Competitors?
In this article, we are about to compare Figma vs. Sketch. Of course, there are other competitive firms, but these 2 cover the largest share of the market, which means that they are the most important players. Besides, although their functionality is similar at first sight, they both are constantly developing to improve customer experience and add new features to overcome their rivals.
Adaptability to Diverse Environments
Sketch is clearly a loser here since it is available only for macOS, whereas Figma is browser-based. What does that mean? Well, if you have Windows or Linux installed on your computer, you would need third-party software to run Sketch. On the other hand, Figma is available from any device; it saves all your data in the cloud automatically and allows multiple people to work on the file 24/7.
Performance Capabilities
It is hard to say which software is better in terms of speed and performance since different people offer varying opinions. Sketch is clearly faster on macOS than on other platforms, but this fact does not really provide solid evidence for comparison. Both programs run equally good on powerful machines; so, there is no direct answer which of them is the winner here.
Functionality
In terms of built-in functions, these programs are practically identical since Figma was, in many cases, inspired by Sketch. They have a rather similar set of plugins, effects, and drawing and editing tools. Figma also supports libraries import from Sketch and has a similar interface. The crucial difference here lies in the way both programs deal with the teamwork aspect. Figma has built-in functions for sharing and collaboration, while Sketch was not designed to be that flexible, and it requires a “Sketch for Teams” extension to edit files online. Thus, there is no direct winner again.
Prototyping Possibilities
Interactive prototyping allows designers to see how clients are about to interact with the program. This feature makes it possible to create interactive pages from static ones within hours. Figma was the first to implement such a function, and Sketch followed with its Craft plugin by InVision. Figma’s decision turned out to be more useful since it included advanced animation and transitions that allow designers to create a clearer picture of how their application would work.
