FigJam for Designers: Whiteboarding Without Leaving Figma

FigJam is Figma’s whiteboard tool for the messy, collaborative work that happens before you open a design file. It’s built for brainstorming sessions, retrospectives, user journey mapping, and design workshops. Unlike Miro or Mural, FigJam lives in the same ecosystem as your Figma designs, so you can sketch a flow, vote on ideas, and jump straight into detailed UI work without switching tools.

Key Specs

How Designers Use FigJam

FigJam fits different stages of the design process, especially when you need to think through problems with your team.

For Design Workshops

Run collaborative sessions where stakeholders map user journeys, prioritize features, or sketch interface ideas. FigJam’s stamps, reactions, and voting features make it easy to gather feedback without talking over each other. Use the timer widget to keep exercises moving. Share the link and everyone can contribute from their own computer.

For Brainstorming and Ideation

Dump ideas on virtual sticky notes, group related concepts, and vote on the strongest directions. Use connectors to show relationships between ideas. FigJam’s infinite canvas means you never run out of space. The AI tools can help organize messy boards or generate variations on concepts when you’re stuck.

For Retrospectives and Team Planning

Look back on what went well and what didn’t. Team members add sticky notes to “start, stop, continue” columns, then discuss and action items. FigJam’s section tool keeps different topics organized. Export the board as an image for meeting notes or paste it in Notion for documentation.

For User Flow and Journey Mapping

Sketch out how users move through your product. Use flowchart shapes and connectors to map decision points, happy paths, and edge cases. Link from FigJam flows directly to Figma prototypes, so developers can see both the big picture and the detailed designs in one place.

FigJam vs. Alternatives

How does FigJam compare to other whiteboard and collaboration tools?

Choose FigJam if: Your team uses Figma and you want seamless handoff from whiteboarding to design work. It’s the path of least resistance.

Choose Miro if: You run complex workshops, need advanced facilitation features, or your team doesn’t use Figma. Miro has more power and templates.

Choose Mural if: You need structured collaboration tools for remote teams and facilitation is a core part of your process.

Choose Whimsical if: You want fast, clean diagramming and wireframing without the complexity of full whiteboard tools.

Choose Lucidchart if: You need technical diagramming for engineering workflows, architecture diagrams, or org charts.

Getting Started with FigJam

A 15-minute quick start to running your first collaborative session:

Step 1: Create a FigJam file and add elements

In Figma, click the dropdown next to “New design file” and select “FigJam file.” Use S for sticky notes, C for connectors, and / to search for shapes, widgets, or templates. Drag elements around freely. There’s no pixel precision here—it’s meant to be loose.

Step 2: Invite your team and facilitate

Click “Share” in the top right and copy the link. Anyone with the link can view and comment; set permissions to “can edit” for collaborators. Use the marker tool (M) to draw freehand, add stamps for quick feedback, and enable the timer widget for timeboxed exercises. Everyone sees each other’s cursors in real-time.

Step 3: Export or link to Figma designs

When you’re ready to move from brainstorming to design, copy key elements and paste them into a Figma design file. Use the link tool to connect FigJam flows to Figma frames, so the whole team can see how rough ideas evolved into detailed designs. Export the board as PNG or PDF for documentation.

FigJam in Your Design Workflow

FigJam works best when paired with other tools in your design process.

• Before FigJam: User research in Dovetail or Notion, customer conversations, problem definition
• During FigJam: Collaborative workshops, journey mapping, brainstorming sessions, retrospectives
• After FigJam: Detailed design in Figma, documentation in Notion, developer handoff via Dev Mode

Common tool pairings:

• FigJam + Figma for seamless handoff from sketches to high-fidelity designs (most common pairing)
• FigJam + Notion for documenting decisions made during workshops and linking to the visual board
• FigJam + Loom for async design critiques—record a walkthrough of the FigJam board and share it
• FigJam + Slack for posting board updates and gathering feedback without live meetings

Common Problems (and How to Fix Them)

These issues come up when teams start using FigJam. Here’s how to solve them.

“The board is a mess after a workshop”

FigJam boards get chaotic when multiple people add ideas simultaneously. Use sections to organize topics before the session starts. After brainstorming, spend 5 minutes grouping similar sticky notes and archiving off-topic ideas. The AI sort feature can help cluster related concepts automatically.

“People aren’t engaging in async sessions”

FigJam works best live. For async collaboration, give clear instructions: “Add 3 ideas by Friday” or “Vote on your top 2 features.” Set a timer widget as a deadline reminder. Ask specific questions rather than “add your thoughts here.” Tag people with comments to draw them in.

“I can’t find old boards”

FigJam files live in your Figma workspace, but they’re mixed with design files. Use naming conventions: prefix FigJam files with the date (2025-12-15-Retro) or project name. Create a dedicated project folder called “Workshops” to keep them organized. Use the search bar to find boards by keyword.

“FigJam feels too simple compared to Miro”

That’s by design. FigJam is intentionally lightweight. It won’t replace Miro for complex facilitation, but it’s faster for quick sessions. If you need advanced features (like Miro’s apps, integrations, or presentation mode), use Miro. If you want to quickly sketch and move to design work, FigJam’s simplicity is an advantage.

“How do I transition from FigJam to Figma?”

Copy elements (sticky notes, shapes, wireframes) from FigJam and paste them into Figma. Use FigJam as reference while designing—keep it open in a second tab or window. Add links from Figma prototypes back to FigJam boards so developers can see the thinking behind design decisions. The goal isn’t to automate the transition, it’s to reduce context switching.