by 2meo6admin01UX starts before Figma, and here’s why
In many digital projects, UX is still far too often reduced to mockups, colors, and well-aligned components in Figma. We talk about user experience, yet we start directly by designing screens. This approach gives the illusion of moving fast, but in reality, it creates products that are misaligned, hard to use, and sometimes ineffective from a business perspective.
UX does not stop at the interface. It begins much earlier. It is rooted in understanding users, their behaviors, business constraints, and the real objectives of the project. This is precisely the perspective we wanted to explore with Achraf Hamdaoui, UX and product strategy expert.
In this discussion, we explore why UX doesn’t start in Figma, what happens when the initial steps are skipped, and how to put the user experience in its proper place from the very start of a digital project.
The common mistake: confusing UX with interface design
4Tech Lab: Achraf, why is it often said that UX starts in Figma?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
Because Figma is visible. It’s concrete, reassuring, and immediately usable. You open a file, see the screens, and feel like the project is progressing. But this is a very common confusion between UX and UI.
UX is not about drawing screens. It’s about understanding a human problem and responding to it in a clear and useful way. Figma comes later, once the structural decisions have already been made. Starting with Figma often means starting with the solution before even understanding the problem.
UX starts with users, not tools
4Tech Lab: Where does UX really begin, in your view?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
UX always starts with the users. With their needs, expectations, frustrations, and real context. Until we understand who we are designing for, we are not doing UX; we are doing decorative design.
This involves discussions, observations, hypotheses, sometimes user interviews, or simply empathy and business analysis. Without this foundation, even the most beautiful interface remains disconnected from reality.
Understanding the context before designing
4Tech Lab: Why is context so important in UX?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
Because a user never interacts with a site or application in a vacuum. They may be in a hurry, distracted, stressed, on mobile, or with a poor connection.
If we don’t take this context into account, we design ideal experiences that don’t work in real life. UX is about anticipating real constraints, not just imagining perfect flows on a clean screen.
The consequences of starting UX too late
4Tech Lab: What happens when UX starts directly in Figma?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
You end up with beautiful but ineffective interfaces. Users don’t understand, conversion rates are low, and teams spend their time fixing issues afterwards.
Very often, the problems we try to solve through design are actually structural, prioritization, or business logic issues. And those cannot be fixed with components or colors.
UX and business objectives: an inseparable link
4Tech Lab: Is UX also a business matter?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
Absolutely. Good UX always serves a business objective, even if it isn’t immediately visible. It can improve conversion, reduce drop-offs, increase trust, or facilitate decision-making.
When UX is considered upstream, it aligns user needs with company objectives. When added at the end, it becomes just an aesthetic band-aid.
The often-overlooked phase: information structuring
4Tech Lab: Which phase is most neglected before Figma?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
Information structuring, without a doubt. Information architecture, content hierarchy, clarity of flows.
Many projects fail not because the design is bad, but because the user doesn’t know where they are, where to click, or why they should take action. Figma alone cannot solve that.
UX, collaboration, and team alignment
4Tech Lab: What role does UX play in team collaboration?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
A central role. Well-thought-out UX serves as an alignment point between business, marketing, tech, and design. It allows decisions to be based on real usage, not opinions.
When UX is absent upstream, each team moves forward with its own vision. The result: friction, inconsistencies, and a lot of wasted time.
Why Figma is still indispensable
4Tech Lab: Does Figma still play a key role?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
Of course. Figma is an excellent tool, but it’s just a tool. It allows you to materialize decisions already made, test hypotheses, and communicate a vision.
The problem is not Figma it’s when you use it. When used after UX thinking, it becomes extremely powerful. When it replaces that thinking, it becomes a dangerous shortcut.
UX continues after launch
4Tech Lab: Does UX stop once the product is live?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
Absolutely not. UX is an ongoing process. Behaviors evolve, needs change, and data reveals new patterns.
A digital product must be continuously observed, measured, and improved. UX never freezes; it adapts. That is what separates a static site from a living product.
Tips for integrating UX from the start
4Tech Lab: What advice would you give companies?
Achraf Hamdaoui:
First, accept that UX requires upfront time, but saves a lot in the long run. Second, involve all stakeholders from the beginning, not just designers.
Finally, understand that UX is not an isolated step but a way of thinking about the product as a whole, even before screens are discussed.
Conclusion
This conversation with Achraf Hamdaoui highlights a key truth: UX does not start in Figma. It begins much earlier, in understanding users, behaviors, and project objectives. Figma is just one tool among many, useful only when it fits into a broader UX reflection.
At 4Tech Lab, this approach guides our digital product design. We believe that high-performing experiences come from a clear, structured, and human-centered vision long before the first mockup. It is this upfront rigor that allows us to create interfaces that are useful, coherent, and sustainable.
