Skip to main content

Multiplayer collaboration

2009, Google Docs

While engineer and inventor Douglas Engelbart pioneered collaborative, real-time editing in what’s called “the mother of all demos” in 1958, Google brought the behavior to the mainstream when it enabled simultaneous editing in Google Docs in 2009. Seven years later, advances in browser technology—especially WebGL—made it possible for Figma to bring professional-grade product design tools online, allowing multiplayer collaboration on the creation of interfaces themselves. The once solitary act of creating a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or design became a communal one. The static artifact came to life, and ownership passed from one to many

A surreal neon landscape with faceless figures, floating shards, and a glowing striped portal on the horizon.A surreal neon landscape with faceless figures, floating shards, and a glowing striped portal on the horizon.

Are roles and responsibilities a thing of the past?

For years, the boundaries between product development roles have become less defined. Our latest report quantifies this shift and explores what it means for you and your team.

, echoing the shared-world logic of multiplayer video games
Person sits on beanbag playing video games in a surreal, gridded meadow landscape, facing oversized pale spiders with his furniture and belongings scattered around.Person sits on beanbag playing video games in a surreal, gridded meadow landscape, facing oversized pale spiders with his furniture and belongings scattered around.

Press start: How controllers shaped video game design—and where interfaces may go next

Aashrey Sharma, a UX designer at Epic Games, shares what video game navigation can teach us about building the next generation of interfaces.

.

Combined with high-quality video conferencing tools, multiplayer collaboration allowed us to co-create from anywhere, anytime, fostering hybrid work environments that have persisted long after the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond productivity, these tools have made it easier and more accessible to build community—whether it’s organizing a book club, nonprofit event, or group trip—and for makers to pursue their passions

Photograph of a woman in an oversize jacket in an industrial studio, illuminated by a bright spotlight.Photograph of a woman in an oversize jacket in an industrial studio, illuminated by a bright spotlight.

Meet the maker: Kelsey Fairhurst’s irresistibly bold flatware

Brooklyn-based designer Kelsey Fairhurst launched Forks Plus, a “softline brutalist” flatware brand, with the help of Figma.

.