Figma Slides the new tool for creating presentations: an alternative to PowerPoint Prezi and Canva

Slides" are a presentation tool we're all familiar with and have used at least once in our lives, whether in the professional, academic or creative sphere. From PowerPoint to Google Slide, via Canva and Prezi, these tools have long dominated the market, covering all sectors of activity and catering for all types of user.

A market that is now attracting new players, including Figma. Unveiled at Config 2024, this new product from Figma, initially known for its collaborative design tools, is positioned as a serious, innovative alternative to solutions such as PowerPoint.

So why tackle this market?

What is its true potential?

How does this new tool stand out from the current leaders?

And above all, is Slides a serious competitor to other leading solutions?

In this analysis, we answer these crucial questions by exploring the product's features and sharing our opinion with you.

What is Figma Slides?

Figma Slides is a new tool integrated into the Figma platform, enabling users to create presentations in the form of slides, just as they would with Canve, Prezi or PowerPoint. The idea for Figma Slides came from Figma users, who were already creating presentations from design files: 35K presentations were created between June 2023 and June 2024.

The tool therefore offers a simplified, dedicated solution for designing presentations, while incorporating the "Figma's touch", such as collaboration or compatibility with other tools in the Figma ecosystem.

Figma Slides features

Figma Slides boasts a number of innovative features that make it a serious alternative to its competitors PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva and Prezi.

A "family" user interface

Figma users won't be disappointed when they discover Slides, as the interface is based on the same principles as Figma's design files. There's a central canvas, sidebars on the left and right, and a toolbar at the bottom.

A slide or grid view

Two view modes make it easier for users to manage their presentation:

• Slide view: focus on individual slides
• Grid view: for an overview of all slides, grouping and reorganizing them

Real-time collaboration

As with other Figma products, Slides enables real-time collaboration, so that several users can work simultaneously on the same presentation.

Integration of design elements

One of Slides' major assets is the ability to integrate elements created in Figma, such as illustrations, interactive prototypes or animations, directly into your presentations.

"Switch mode" between simplified presentation and designer mode

To complement Figma's other tools, Slides can be used in two different ways:

• a simplified mode for creating presentations quickly, with basic functions such as adding shadows, managing image radii and color management.
• a designer mode for accessing Figma's advanced functions, enabling you to customize integrated design elements, for example by accessing auto layout properties, vector functionalities, etc.

AI to optimize content

These days, it's hard to release a product without incorporating some AI...

Slides therefore includes anartificial intelligence tool that helps optimize texts according to two variables:

• The tone changes from professional to relaxed
• and length from shortest to longest

Note-taking functions

A little goes a long way!

Users can now add personalized notes under each slide, and access them during their live presentations.

One-click sharing and presentation

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Once the presentation has been finalized, it can be shared via a simple link, with access to notes and seamless navigation between slides. You'll find :

• A sharing link giving access to the presentation editor for collaboration
• A presentation mode featuring slides only, dedicated to the public
• A presentation mode, including note-taking and slide groups, dedicated to speakers

Find out more about using Slides

Figma Slides vs PowerPoint, Prezi or Canva

While PowerPoint remains the benchmark tool for presentations, Figma Slides differs in a number of ways from this tool, as well as from Prezi, Google Slide and Canva :

• Deep design integration: Where PowerPoint offers basic design tools, Figma Slides leverages the full power of Figma's design features, enabling more visually accomplished presentations.
• Prototype integration: Slides lets you integrate web prototypes directly into presentations. This is a highly webdesign-oriented feature that PowerPoint doesn't offer.
• Live collaboration : Although PowerPoint has introduced collaboration features, Slides, thanks to Figma's DNA, offers a far more fluid and intuitive real-time collaboration experience.
• Live interaction: Slides lets you integrate questionnaires, votes and dynamic polls to make presentations more participative.
• Flexibility and accessibility: Figma Slides offers a flexible approach with its switch mode, enabling both novices and experienced designers to find their way around easily.
• Modern, professional presentation templates : a real difference to PowerPoint! Slides offers pre-designed templates, with different types of design that don't date back to the early 2000s...!

The strategy behind Figma Slides

The launch of Figma Slides is part of a well-thought-out global strategy that goes far beyond simply meeting a user need. Figma aims to become a central platform for the entire creative process, from ideation through design and development to final presentation. This ambition for centralization goes hand in hand with a detailed analysis of the market and a desire to create a complete ecosystem, capable of attracting and retaining an ever wider audience.

Integrating into a high-potential market

The market for presentation tools is vast and diverse. There are hundreds of specialized tools, as listed on the Capterra website, with long-standing players such as Google Slide, Canva, Prezi and PowerPoint claiming, in 2016, 35 million presentations created every day by 500 million users.

More recent, albeit local, studies confirm this trend. For example, in the UK, 53% of the population have already used a presentation tool. This shows that presentation tools are now a must-have, not only in the professional world, but also in education and other sectors.

However, the need for more modern, collaborative tools integrated with the other phases of the creative process remains strong, creating a market niche that Figma is determined to exploit.

Targeting large companies

The market for presentation tools is taken very seriously by large companies. Organizations such as EY, Deloitte, JPMorgan and KPMG, with hundreds of thousands of employees, make massive use of PowerPoint in their day-to-day activities. These companies, spread across hundreds of countries, including the USA, Canada and Europe (France, Germany, etc.), represent a strategic target for Figma. More data on TheirStack

Figma Slides' entry into this market aims not only to attract a new audience, but also to establish itself as a credible alternative to traditional tools.

The challenge is considerable: not only must Figma convince these companies of the relevance of Slides, but also of the added value of integrating this tool into the wider Figma ecosystem.

Creating an ecosystem of tools: a strategy inspired by Adobe

Just as Adobe has done with its ecosystem of tools dedicated to photography, motion design, graphics and video, Figma seeks to centralize the entire creative process within a single platform. This strategy facilitates the transition from one tool to another, while offering a coherent, integrated user experience. Today, we offer :

• FigJam for ideation and brainstorming. This tool is aimed at marketing and product teams, enabling them to integrate more easily into creative thinking.
• Figma Design Figma Design: the main design tool, designed for UX/UI designers, remains at the heart of the ecosystem, enabling detailed design and prototyping.
• Dev Mode a space specifically designed for developers, offering tools for transforming mock-ups into code and facilitating collaboration between designers and developers.
• Figma Slides the new presentation tool, aimed at "anyone, whatever their role or experience with design".

Attract new audiences and build user loyalty

One of Figma's objectives with Slides is tobroaden its user base by addressing profiles that, until now, have not been directly targeted by its tools. By offering an accessible, easy-to-use product, Figma hopes to attract marketers, entrepreneurs, teachers, students and anyone else who needs to create presentations.

But Figma isn't content with attracting new users: they're looking to build loyalty by gradually introducing them to its entire ecosystem. A user who starts with Slides could, over time, discover Figma's other tools and integrate them into their workflow. This cross-selling strategy enables Figma to convert simple users into fans of its platform, thus increasing retention and customer satisfaction.

Affordable pricing to conquer the market

Finally, Figma has opted for a competitive pricing strategy. With pricing expected to be between $3 and $5 per month after the beta period, Slides is positioned as an affordable option compared with other tools on the market.

Conclusion: Strategic and visionary deployment

Figma Slides is positioned as an innovative alternative to PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva and Prezi, bringing a new dimension to presentations thanks to its deep integration of design tools and collaborative features.

Figma's strategy, aimed at centralizing the creative process, looks promising for attracting a new customer base focused on key accounts, and thus strengthening its position in the presentation software market.

For our part, we've been won over by the tool and have already started using it to prepare our presentation at the Webflow Conf. 2024 in London.