Figma's Design Systems Remodel Achieves 60% Faster Large File Editing

Figma has announced a significant architectural overhaul, dubbed the "Design Systems Remodel," at its Schema conference, promising up to a 60% increase in editing speed for large design files. This foundational rewrite of Figma's design systems architecture aims to enhance performance and responsiveness for designers and developers alike. Georgia Rust, Creation Engine Product Lead at Figma, shared the news via a social media post, highlighting the extensive nature of the update.

The "Design Systems Remodel" represents one of the most substantial refactors in Figma's history, according to Rust. She stated: "> At Schema by @Figma, we announced the Design Systems Remodel — a foundational rewrite of Figma’s design systems architecture that makes editing in large files up to 60% faster." This extensive work involved refactoring and creating new systems and underlying data models that power core features like components and variables.

Beyond faster editing, the update delivers smoother and more responsive interactive prototypes. Library publishing, a critical function for design systems, will now take "seconds instead of minutes," significantly improving efficiency and reliability at scale. This cross-team effort is designed to rebuild the very foundation of how design systems operate within Figma, setting the stage for future innovations.

The announcement at Schema by Figma underscores the company's commitment to advancing design systems, especially in an era increasingly influenced by AI. Figma emphasized that design systems are crucial for driving consistency at scale and bridging the gap between design and production. This remodel provides a more robust framework for teams to maintain high craft, polish, and performance in their digital products.

The enhanced architecture is expected to lead to faster instance updates, particularly for components with thousands of instances, and a more responsive editing experience even in the most complex files. This strategic investment aims to empower designers and developers with a more efficient and scalable platform, ensuring that design systems can effectively support the evolving demands of product development.